Daniel Dubois has been crowned a two-time world heavyweight champion after stopping Fabio Wardley in the eleventh round of a breathtaking contest at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, claiming the WBO heavyweight belt in what proved to be one of the most dramatic heavyweight bouts in recent memory.
The defending champion wasted no time making his intentions clear, flooring Dubois with a thunderous right hook within the opening ten seconds of the fight — a stunning start that set the tone for the brutal exchanges to come. Dubois, visibly shaken but refusing to be broken, hauled himself back into the contest in the second round, landing two massive right hands that helped swing momentum back in his favour.
Yet Wardley was not done. The Ipswich Town devotee — undefeated in twenty professional bouts and never previously knocked off his feet — delivered a second knockdown in the third round, sending Dubois to one knee and forcing him to take an eight-count. For a brief moment, it appeared the challenger’s ambitions might be derailed before they had properly begun.
But Dubois is not a man easily denied. He steadied himself with a ferocious one-two in the fourth before a clubbing right hook put Wardley firmly on the defensive. From that point forward, the challenger’s superior aggression and the sheer punishment inflicted by his right hand began to take a visible and devastating toll.
By the sixth round, Wardley was a bloodied and battered figure, somehow remaining upright as Dubois unleashed a relentless flurry of blows. The referee took a close look, but the defending champion’s remarkable resilience — forged from his journey from white-collar boxing to the professional summit — kept him on his feet and in the fight.
Wardley showed that grit again in the seventh and eighth rounds, landing a sharp left jab to briefly leave Dubois looking vulnerable, and absorbing a significant cut to the nose that required inspection but was ultimately deemed not severe enough to halt proceedings.
Despite legs that grew increasingly unsteady, Wardley refused to surrender, even finding the energy to reply to Dubois’ sweeping right hook with an uppercut of his own heading into the later rounds.
Dubois Delivers The Decisive Blow
The tenth round brought another medical inspection, but still Wardley pushed on through sheer will. It would not be enough. In the eleventh, Dubois unleashed a devastating barrage of late punches that left referee Howard Foster with no choice but to wave off the contest and bring Wardley’s reign as WBO champion to a close.
Anthony Joshua Vs Tyson Fury: AJ Refuses Quick Agreement
An emotional Dubois was quick to honour his opponent in the aftermath, calling it a war and saluting Wardley’s courage before declaring his intent to grow from the experience and build a lasting reign at the top of the heavyweight division.
“It was a war,” Dubois said. “We came through the sticky moments. Thank you Fabio for that — what a great fight, what a great battle. I want to grow from this fight, improve and go on and reign as champion again.”
He then turned to the crowd and roared: “Are you not entertained? What a fight, what a warrior — thank you!”
The victory marks a significant career resurgence for Dubois, who entered the bout looking to bounce back from two stoppage defeats to undisputed triple world champion Oleksandr Usyk. He has answered those setbacks in emphatic fashion.
Promoter Frank Warren confirmed afterwards that a rematch clause is written into the fight contract, leaving the door open for Wardley — who has still never been knocked down in his professional career — to seek redemption.