Dubois stops Wardley in second round to keep WBO heavyweight title

Daniel Dubois retained his WBO heavyweight title by stopping Fabio Wardley in the second round of their rematch on October 17, 2026, at London's O2 Arena. Wardley was knocked down after 17 seconds, before his trainer Ben Davison threw in the towel in the following round.¹²³

An early knockdown

A straight right sent Wardley down almost immediately, leaving the challenger facing an early recovery rather than the start he had planned. The Guardian reported that the referee stopped the contest two minutes and 21 seconds into round two; the Independent put its total duration at five minutes and 21 seconds.¹²³

The BBC reported a capacity attendance of 19,000 for the rematch. According to its account, Dubois finished the night with 24 professional victories, 23 of them by knockout, and three defeats. Wardley suffered his second loss in 23 professional appearances, the broadcaster said.¹

The outcome repeated Dubois' victory in their previous meeting in Manchester, but the finish came much earlier. That first contest ended in the 11th round in May. The Independent reported that Wardley had knocked Dubois down in both the first and third rounds of that encounter before being stopped.¹²³⁴

Dubois said his approach this time had been to impose himself from the outset. Wardley, meanwhile, attributed the defeat to his own performance rather than offering an alternative explanation. He told the Independent that he had failed to carry out the game plan properly, and later promised to return, according to RTÉ.²³⁴

Possible opponents

Attention after the contest turned to Hrgovic, who entered the ring and exchanged expressions of interest in another meeting with Dubois, according to the BBC. According to the broadcaster, promoter Frank Warren wanted Hrgovic’s initial defence of the title to take place in Croatia, followed by a bid to unify the division.¹

Hrgovic also challenged Dubois publicly, telling the Independent that he intended to win their proposed rematch and pursue the belts. Potential opponents identified in the coverage include Agit Kabayel and Murat Gassiev, while the Guardian described meetings with Hrgovic and Kabayel as possible unification contests.²³

Dubois expressed interest in another fight with Oleksandr Usyk, RTÉ reported. The BBC said Usyk had beaten him in 2023 and again last year. Warren told RTÉ he was willing to bring Usyk back into discussions and expected an undisputed champion within 18 months; that remains the promoter's projection.¹⁴

For Dubois, the immediate message was a desire for further major fights rather than a named next opponent. “Whoever is next in line, really. He told the Independent that, as the champion, he was eager to take part in major bouts.³