Just over five months on from their epic first fight, Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley go to war for the WBO heavyweight world title in London on Saturday night.
Wardley went into the first bout holding the belt, but Dubois overcame two knockdowns to become world heavyweight champion for the second time, third if you count the WBA regular crown.
When the first bout took place in Manchester in May, the general consensus was that it was a 50-50 fight that would end early.
Wardley had Dubois down in the first 10 seconds, and twice within the first three rounds, but Dubois showed the kind of resilience that he has not always shown in his career.
Once the second half of the fight came around, Wardley was only getting weaker and Dubois far stronger. He had not broken his opponent’s spirit, but the level of exhaustion being shown by Wardley meant that the end result was inevitable from thereon in.
Although Wardley left the ring with his reputation enhanced from both a boxing and popularity perspective, it felt like he suffered career-changing punishment from the biggest puncher in the division.
Whether that proves true remains to be seen, but only the minority will feel that taking an immediate Dubois rematch within 22 weeks of the first instalment is the right move.
Last time out, we also got to see Dubois enter the 11th round for the first time. He is currently on a streak of Oleksandr Usyk 1, Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic, Anthony Joshua, Usyk 2 and Wardley. It is a stunning CV.
Meanwhile, Wardley’s win before Dubois was his incredible comeback effort against Joseph Parker, and you have to question whether that, too, has put miles on the Ipswich fighter’s clock.
Many have questioned whether Wardley should be taking this fight so soon after the battering that he took in the second half of the first fight.-SportsMole
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