Daniel Dubois kept his WBO heavyweight world title on Saturday night after a quick and powerful win against Fabio Wardley in London. Just 17 seconds into the opening round, Dubois knocked Wardley down with a hard right hand. It was the first time Wardley had ever been knocked down in his 23 professional fights, and he struggled to recover from the early shock.
The bout was a rematch after their difficult fight in May, but this contest was much shorter. Dubois trapped Wardley in the corner and landed heavy punches throughout the first round. Although Wardley tried to fight back in the second round, his trainer, Ben Davison, threw a white towel into the ring to surrender after two minutes and 21 seconds. The referee stopped the fight immediately to protect Wardley.
After the victory, Dubois said he intended to be aggressive from the opening bell. "Our back was against the wall last time – this time we had to go out and show we mean business from the start," he explained. Wardley accepted the defeat, saying, "It's never fun to lose – but it is what it is, it's the name of the game."
The decisive stoppage solidifies Dubois's position at the top of heavyweight boxing. The champion can now look ahead to potential unification fights against rival titleholders Filip Hrgovic and Agit Kabayel.