Daniel Dubois overcame two early knockdowns to claw his way back into the fight, battering defending WBO heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley into submission to snatch the title away. Things didn’t look good early for Dubois, as he hit the deck seconds into the first round and again in the third, courtesy of Wardley’s right hand. Dubois kept Wardley honest by landing his own bombs on even terms, though Wardley refused to go down.
Going into the sixth, it appeared Dubois had nearly pulled even on the scorecards. He battered Wardley along the ropes, opening a cut that appeared to have partially healed from Wardley’s training camp. Wardley absorbed some hellacious shots but still wouldn’t go down.
In the seventh, it was more of the same, but Wardley caught his second wind and returned fire, with both men going toe-to-toe in the waning seconds of the round. Things eased up slightly in the eighth as both men needed a breather, though heavy shots were still landing.
In the ninth and tenth rounds, referee Howard Foster called time to escort Wardley to the corner so he could be examined by the ringside physician. His right eye was virtually closed, the bridge of his nose was split open, and his face had become a grotesque mask of bloody, disfigured lumps. Each time, the doctor allowed the fight to continue, and Wardley survived the rounds before wobbling back to his corner. It was something straight out of a Rocky movie.
Finally, moments into the eleventh, Dubois teed off on a spent Wardley, sending him reeling helplessly into the ropes, forcing referee Foster to jump in and save the too-brave Wardley from himself. The official time was 28 seconds of round eleven, and once again, Daniel Dubois holds a heavyweight world title belt, this time the WBO crown. He previously held the WBA “regular” title as well as the IBF title.
The WBO mandatory challenger is Moses Itauma, while the WBC/IBF/WBA and lineal heavyweight champion is Oleksandr Usyk. There was also a rematch clause for this fight.
As incredible as this bout was, this writer believes Wardley needs a significant rest. Either way, Dubois, still only 28 years old, has the heavyweight world at his feet. This fight exceeded the wildest expectations of boxing fans everywhere. Even though 2026 is only five months old, boxing may be hard-pressed to produce a better fight over the remaining seven months of the year.
Dubois improves to 23-3 with 22 KOs, while Wardley suffers the first loss of his career, falling to 20-1-1 with 19 KOs.
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