Daniel Dubois became a two-time world heavyweight champion after going to war with Fabio Wardley for eleven rounds at the Co-op Arena in Manchester, England, on DAZN.
Dubois (23-3, 22 KOs) came back from being knocked down twice early in the fight to stop Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KOs) in the 11th round, becoming the new WBO heavyweight champion. After the fight, Queensberry boss Frank Warren said there is a rematch clause, so we will likely see Dubois vs. Wardley 2.
Ten seconds into the opening round, Wardley throws two overhand rights, with the second landing on the top of Dubois’ head, sending him to the canvas for the first knockdown of the fight. Dubois beat the count but was on shaky legs. He survived Wardley’s offense, which was fast and heavy throughout the round.
Dubois came roaring back in the second round as his lead jab, followed by a straight right hand, was giving Wardley problems. He wasn’t seeing the right hand coming, and in the middle of the round, Wardley buckled from one of Dubois’ right hands. Wardley had blood coming out of his mouth throughout the round.
In the third round, Wardley caught Dubois with an overhand right to the top of the head once again, and Dubois took a knee for the second knockdown of the fight. Wardley tried to finish Dubois but could not, as Dubois used his experience to get out of trouble. Dubois later landed a big overhand right that rocked Wardley, but it came toward the end of the round.
Again, Dubois came roaring back the round after being knocked down. Dubois had Wardley hurt throughout the round with his overhand right, but it was one punch at a time, allowing Wardley to recover and make it through the round. In the fifth, Dubois took advantage of Wardley taking a breather as he kept throwing his overhand right behind the left jab. Wardley still couldn’t see it coming and was getting buzzed each time that combination landed on his chin.
Wardley and Dubois went to war in the sixth round, but it was a Dubois right hand that almost knocked Wardley out on his feet. Dubois tried his best to knock out Wardley but couldn’t finish him. Wardley somehow managed to stay on his feet and made it through the round, even though he was bleeding through his nose and his right eye was nearly shut.
Round seven was another wild round as Wardley appeared knocked out on his feet but landed a right uppercut that hurt Dubois. It looked like the last round in the film Rocky. Both guys refused to go down. An incredible heart was shown by both fighters. Dubois kept controlling the action throughout the eighth round as Wardley’s face was a mess.
In the 9th and 10th rounds, Dubois kept pressing forward as Wardley could barely stand, but Wardley landed a huge punch in the middle of it all, which changed the momentum in a split second. In the 11th round, Dubois landed a hard right hand that forced the referee to jump in and stop the fight, as Wardley was finished. In the end, it was a fight that will go down as one of the best in 2026. Both fighters showed tremendous heart, and their warrior spirit was on full display for all to see.
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