Daniel Dubois retained his WBO heavyweight title with a devastating second-round stoppage of Fabio Wardley on Saturday night, then declared: “This is my time, my era.”
Dubois dominated the rematch from the opening bell, dropping Wardley with a monstrous right hand after just 17 seconds. Wardley took a standing count but was still on his feet, hunched over in a corner, when his trainer Ben Davison threw in the towel.
Seek-and-destroy mission
Promoter Frank Warren described Dubois’s intensity before the fight: “I went in the dressing room beforehand like I normally do and I couldn’t have a conversation with Daniel because he was so zoned in and focused. It showed when he got in the ring. He went out there on a seek-and-destroy mission.”
Dubois walked to the ring with intense purpose, resembling a much bigger and heavier version of a young Mike Tyson. There was not a flicker of emotion as he marched quickly towards Wardley.
In their first fight five months ago, Dubois was knocked down after just 16 seconds and dropped again in the third round before beating a valiant Wardley who was rescued by the referee in the eleventh round.
Ready from the start
“I was more focused than I was in May, big-time,” Dubois said. “It was go-time from the minute I put my gear on. Maybe the warm-up was more extensive than usual but I was in the zone quicker. Everyone was saying Fabio was going to start fast so I was ready for him.”
Asked if he had expected such a quick stoppage, Dubois said: “I can’t say I did. I was prepared for a war. I wasn’t going to be denied. I refused to lose.”
Dubois insisted that no heavyweight in the world could have withstood the ferocious blows he rained down on Wardley. “Fabio has got a great chin,” he pointed out, noting that Wardley has never been dropped.
Next opponents
Warren explained that Hrgovic, the IBF champion, has a mandatory defence against Frank Sánchez in Croatia. The WBC title belongs to Agit Kabayel, a decent heavyweight who is a huge ticket-seller in Germany.
Hrgovic, Kabayel, Fury and Itauma are all promoted by Warren, who said: “The good thing is that everyone wants to fight. They’re fighting men. There will be great fights and, this will be music to Daniel’s ears, great money.”
Dubois laughed before being asked who he would like to fight most. “I’ve heard talk about Kabayel but I’ll fight whoever’s next in line … whoever pays the most cash.”
Hrgovic had been ringside and suggested he had struggled with illness when losing to Dubois in 2024. The confident Croat promised to “smash” his rival next time. “Did he really say that?” Dubois asked in amusement before turning to the prospect of fighting Usyk for a third time. “Definitely. I’d love that. We’re coming out on top this time. We’ve made our mistakes but I’m a different fighter now.”
Warren confirmed he could easily imagine Fury accepting the challenge of facing Dubois, while Itauma’s name was mentioned next. Warren reminded of Itauma’s age and stressed that a future clash between Dubois and a more experienced Itauma would be “a gun fight” to fill a stadium.
When asked if he would like to fight Itauma one day, Dubois nodded intently. “I hope so because I need dance partners.”
