Daniel Dubois Stops Fabio Wardley in Round 11 to Win WBO Heavyweight Title

Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley in round 11 to take the WBO heavyweight title from the 31-year-old in a fight that saw the victor knocked down twice early. The bout took place last Saturday at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester. Dubois, 28, was floored in rounds one and three but recovered to break down Wardley and hand the Ipswich boxer his first professional loss.

Dubois sustained damage around his left eye during the contest. Wardley had a pre-existing nose injury that was aggravated and was cut around his right eye. The fight was described by Wardley as an instant classic.

Frank Warren promotes both Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley. Warren revealed that Wardley had a rematch clause in his contract with Dubois. Wardley has now told Sky Sports that he will activate that clause to face Dubois again.

“The boxing world knows my character, and Saturday night proved that without a shred of doubt,” Wardley said. “It was a fight for the ages, but I made some mistakes that I will rectify in the rematch. ” The rematch between Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley will likely be scheduled for late 2026.

Wardley had won his previous two fights while trailing on the scorecards. Against Justis Huni last June, Wardley produced a 10th-round knockout before stopping Joseph Parker in round 11 in October. The latter result earned Wardley the interim WBO heavyweight title.

That belt was upgraded to the regular title in November when Oleksandr Usyk gave up the official strap. In beating Wardley, Dubois became a two-time world champion. Dubois now has 23 wins from 26 professional fights.

He first became a world champion in 2024 by claiming the interim IBF belt via stoppage of Filip Hrgovic. In similar fashion to Wardley’s elevation, Dubois was upgraded to official IBF heavyweight champion when Oleksandr Usyk vacated the regular strap. Dubois then knocked out Anthony Joshua to retain the official IBF heavyweight title.

He lost that belt in a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk last summer. Oleksandr Usyk stopped Daniel Dubois for the second time in two years to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion before giving up the WBO heavyweight title in November. @Independent reported that there was to be no late escape for Wardley despite his earlier resilience on the scorecards.

The promoter’s shared stable and the contracted rematch clause make a second meeting between the two Britons the clear next step once both have recovered from the visible damage sustained at the Co-op Live arena.