Dubois defeats Wardley by second-round TKO to retain WBO heavyweight title
Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley in the second round at London’s O2 Arena, securing his first defense of the WBO heavyweight championship.
Daniel Dubois retained his WBO heavyweight title on Saturday after a second-round technical knockout of challenger Fabio Wardley at the O2 Arena in London. The bout, a rematch of their May encounter, ended 17 seconds into the first round when Dubois landed an overhand right that knocked Wardley down for the first time in his career. Wardley rose but was unable to mount effective offense, and the referee intervened to begin a ten-count.
After surviving the opening round, Wardley was again overwhelmed early in the second. Dubois delivered a series of clean rights that left the champion defenseless, prompting Wardley's trainer Ben Davison to signal the towel. The referee stopped the fight, awarding Dubois a TKO victory.
Post-fight, Dubois said, "> I want to fight whoever is next in line. I'm the champion now and I want to get some big fights in. This stage of my career — big money, big fights. You're the man, Queensberry promoter Frank Warren."
The win positions Dubois for future high-profile matchups, with promoter Frank Warren also managing other heavyweight champions Agit Kabayel and Filip Hrgovic, raising the prospect of a unification bout in the coming years.