Dubois

Daniel Dubois recovered from two knockdowns to win a second world heavyweight title with a stoppage of Fabio Wardley.

Daniel Dubois ⁠came back from two ⁠knockdowns to deal Fabio Wardley a brutal and bloody first defeat as a professional and take the WBO heavyweight title in a thunderous all-British clash in Manchester, United Kingdom.

Referee ⁠Howard Foster finally stepped in at the start of the 11th round to signal the end of the fight at the Co-Op Live Arena on Saturday. Wardley was bleeding heavily from the bridge of the nose, with his right ⁠eye almost closed .

Dubois rose twice from the canvas, including being dropped by a right hook in the first 10 seconds of the fight, to pulverise Wardley and become a world heavyweight champion for the second time in his career.

“It was a war. We came through the sticky moments. Thank you Fabio for that,” ‌said Dubois, who was previously IBF champion after the belt was vacated by Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, with the Ukrainian winning it back in July 2025.

“What a great fight. What a great battle, man”.

The win was Dubois’s 23rd as a professional in 26 fights while Wardley now has a 20-1-1 record.

Veteran promoter Frank Warren, who manages both men, said it was the best heavyweight fight he had ever put on and confirmed there was a rematch clause in the contract.

For ⁠some viewers, however, it was also an uncomfortable watch that could have ⁠been stopped earlier.

The 31-year-old Wardley, who was promoted to WBO champion last November after Usyk vacated the title, was making his first defence and showed immense heart as he took a tremendous beating yet refused to capitulate.

He had his opponent ⁠on the floor, a blow Dubois, 28, later dismissed as a ‘flash knockdown’, almost with the opening bell still sounding.

Dubois was back on one knee in ⁠round three but came close to a stoppage in the ⁠sixth with the reigning champion bleeding heavily and on the ropes.

The Londoner continued to land blow after blow on Wardley, who wobbled but refused to give up.

His corner inspected the facial wounds after the eighth and doctors and the referee took a ‌look in rounds nine and 10 but still the fight continued, with Wardley increasingly struggling to stay on his feet and fighting on instinct.

“You witnessed something special tonight,” Warren told the BBC. “Two men baring ‌their ‌hearts and souls in the ring, gave everything, didn’t leave one bit outside the ring.

“They were getting hit with bombs that would take people out and they stood it.”

Having arrived an hour later than the champion to the venue because of Manchester traffic, Dubois made a brisk, business-like ringwalk.

Wardley, in his first appearance since being upgraded to world champion, soaked in the atmosphere with a leisurely entrance. Draped in an Ipswich Town Football Club robe, he was greeted by a warm reception from the 18,000-strong crowd.

With a combined record of 42 wins – 40 coming by knockout – there was palpable anticipation inside the arena, and Wardley stayed true to his promise to bring the action early as Dubois immediately hit the canvas after a flush right hand.

Dubois winked to his corner but looked shell-shocked. He wrestled Wardley to the ground as both fighters swung for the hills.

Many expected Dubois to impose himself early before Wardley could settle. Considered the better technical boxer, he regrouped and landed a right in the second.

Momentum swung again in the third when Wardley, who looked sharp with his overhand right and uppercuts, sent Dubois wobbling. Dubois took a knee and survived the count before firing back with a right hand that rocked Wardley.

The fighters and fans struggled to catch a breath as trainer Don Charles urged Dubois to lean on his jab, and he followed that instruction to take control of proceedings.

Dubois’ left eye was swollen, but Wardley’s face looked a mess as Dubois set up his attacks with a left jab before landing his biggest shots in the fourth and the sixth.

Wardley, who was working in recruitment a decade ago, showed an extraordinary chin and heart as he refused to go down despite his legs trembling and blood pouring down his face.

Most would likely have been withdrawn by their corner, but Wardley has built a reputation on dramatic comebacks. This time, however, it felt different.

The doctor inspected Wardley’s injuries before the eighth round and allowed him to continue.

By the ninth, the referee looked ready to intervene as Wardley continued to absorb heavy punishment and the contest became increasingly difficult to watch.

Doctors again allowed Wardley to continue before the 10th and when the stoppage finally arrived in the 11th, there was almost a sense of relief.

A sensational fight had reached its conclusion.

Warren – a veteran of 45 years in the sport – described it as “the best heavyweight fight” he has ever promoted.

Two big-hitting British heavyweights will collide for a world title in Manchester on Saturday as Fabio Wardley defends his WBO belt against Daniel Dubois.

Unbeaten Wardley, 31, makes the first defence of his title after the Ipswich fighter was upgraded from interim to full world champion last year.

Londoner Dubois, 28, is aiming to bounce back from his defeat by Oleksandr Usyk last summer, as he looks to become a two-time world champion.

With a combined 95% knockout ratio, it seems unlikely the judges will be needed at the Co-op Live Arena.

BBC Sport spoke to figures from the boxing world to get their predictions.

Daniel is a very introverted man. He’s not somebody who goes out boasting, and I know he’s taken some stick this week because of that quiet nature.

I am protective of him. I always try to talk to him before we go into any media event, prepare him.

He just doesn’t enjoy that part of the fight game. He’s really not into all the verbals.

Whoever you are, you look at how people behave and what their make-up is. That’s if you want to get the best out of them.

You have to be clever, not sly, in how you deal with it. Good interviewers do that. Daniel does all his talking in the ring.

I don’t think he’ll ever change. His dad is his mentor and that’s all he knows – he’ll look to his dad before answering the question and still usually does.

That family is a tight unit. Some boxers, as they get successful, go partying but he doesn’t do any of that stuff.

After he beat Anthony Joshua, he just wanted to go home.

I had to literally push him into the press room so the world could see him after that magnificent performance.

Our job as promoters is to find something you can bring out and get it to the public, so they want to be on this journey with this fighter.

Sometimes it’s difficult. With Prince Naseem Hamed, for example, it was easy. When I first met Naz, I knew exactly what I was going to do with him and how we were going to promote him.

So some guys are easily promotable, others it can be hard work, but that’s the business we’re in.

But Daniel has come out of his skin a bit lately. The funniest thing for me was when he did the head-to-head with Filip Hrgovic a few fights ago.

Hrgovic said Daniel had no heart, and Daniel just said he was going to knock him out – using an expletive I wouldn’t like to repeat.

I had never heard Daniel even swear before!

Everybody there was like: ‘What is that?’ It was like getting the vicar to swear. He found a voice from within himself.

Fabio Wardley tells BBC Sport how he went from playing football for Ipswich Town’s academy to stepping into the ring in white collar boxing.

The Ipswich-born fighter, now WBO world champion, will defend his title for the first time when he faces Daniel Dubois in Manchester on Saturday.

READ MORE: Wardley v Dubois – all you need to know