Daniel Dubois wasted absolutely no time putting Fabio Wardley away in their WBO heavyweight championship rematch on Saturday, stopping him cold in the second round at London’s O2 Arena. It was a complete beatdown, making Dubois’s victory five months ago look almost like a struggle.
Dubois Was In The Zone From The Opening Bell
Look, the first fight back in May had Dubois climbing off the canvas twice before he bludgeoned Wardley. That was a war. This? This was a “seek and destroy mission,” according to Queensberry Promotions founder Frank Warren, and man, was he right. Dubois wasn’t just ready for war, he was the war. He dropped Wardley in the first round and then put him away for good in the second.
Dubois himself said it best after the fight: “I was prepared for a war. Whatever he did wasn’t going to affect me. His punches, or anything. I was going to go right through him. I was in the zone. I refused to lose.” And you could tell. Wardley landed a pitiful single punch in the first round, just three in the second. His accuracy? A dismal 15% overall, connecting on only 4 of 27 punches. Compare that to the first fight where he hit 27% of his 358 shots. Wardley was never, ever in this one.
“Mental Scars” And A Return Too Soon
It wasn’t just Dubois’s physical game that was on point, he was in Wardley’s head before the bell even rang. Dubois straight up called it: “You could see a lot of mental scars on him [from the first fight]. I just had to bring him back to that place.” Yikes. Imagine your opponent knowing your mental state like that.
IBF heavyweight champion Filip Hrgovic was blunt, telling reporters he thought Wardley “should retire” because “He didn’t look good.” Hrgovic even echoed Dubois’s take, suggesting Wardley came back “too soon” after that destructive loss in May. Warren still called Wardley “powerful,” “brave,” and a “warrior” as his corner threw in the towel, but when other champs are telling you to hang ’em up, that’s rough.
Wardley Wants A Comeback, Just Like Dubois Did
Wardley, to his credit, isn’t thinking about retirement. He admitted his “preparation, for me, wasn’t ideal.” He also gave credit where it’s due: “Daniel learned the most from the first fight and came out with a better game plan. That’s all it was. I lost. It is what it is.” That’s a tough pill to swallow, but at least he owned it.
What’s wild is Wardley is actually looking to Dubois for inspiration now. Remember six years ago, when Dubois was seen as quitting against Joe Joyce, losing by a 10th round knockout? He took a knee and many counted him out. But since then, his only losses are to Oleksandr Usyk, and he’s got huge wins over guys like Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic, and Anthony Joshua. That’s a serious bounce-back story.
Wardley said, “Daniel is a testament to losing, coming back, and winning the world title for a second time. And I’ll be looking to do the same thing.” Dubois, hearing this, simply said, “I know who I am, and I refuse to give up. The warrior’s mentality is always to come back. Try again. Try harder. Whether he does that, we’ll see.”
So, Wardley has a mountain to climb, aiming to channel that “warrior’s mentality” Dubois embodies. Dubois, meanwhile, just showed the boxing world he’s a true force, solidifying his WBO heavyweight title defense with a statement win. It’s clear he’s ready for anyone.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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