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Daniel Dubois Stops Fabio Wardley in Round 11 to Win WBO Heavyweight Title
Dubois climbed off the canvas twice to defeat Wardley last Saturday at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena, becoming a two-time world champion. Wardley, who suffered his first professional loss, immediately activated a rematch clause and vowed to reclaim the belt. The bout featured significant damage to both fighters and sets up a likely rematch in late 2026.
May 15, 9:00 AM·2m read1 source
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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.
