Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois retained his WBO heavyweight title on Saturday with a devastating second-round stoppage of fellow Briton Fabio Wardley at London’s O2 Arena. The 29-year-old champion made an explosive start, flooring Wardley with a straight right hand within 17 seconds of the opening bell. Wardley, 31, beat the count but struggled to withstand Dubois’s relentless attacks. Dubois continued to dominate throughout the opening round, landing a series of heavy punches that left Wardley under pressure against the ropes. The challenger survived until the bell, but the respite proved temporary. Dubois resumed his assault in the second round, landing repeated blows as Wardley struggled to defend himself. The referee, Steve Gray, stopped the contest after Wardley’s corner threw in the towel. “It was my time and my era,” Dubois said after the victory. “I had my intentions, bad intentions, from the beginning.” He added that his team had entered the rematch determined to demonstrate their strength after their previous encounter. Pakistan Food Exports Shipments rise 25.31% as rice sales drive growth “Fabio is a great warrior, coming in for a second time,” Dubois said. “This time we just had to go out there and show that we mean business, and that’s what we did tonight.” Dubois had handed Wardley his first professional defeat in their previous meeting in Manchester last May. Wardley had recovered from two knockdowns, including one in the opening 16 seconds, before Dubois stopped him in the 11th round of a bruising contest. Wardley was praised for his resilience in that fight. On Saturday, however, he was unable to reproduce the same resistance against a champion who appeared determined to settle the rivalry decisively. Wardley, whose professional record now stands at 20 wins, two defeats and one draw, said he had no regrets about testing himself against the division’s leading fighters. “I’ve always thrown myself in with the best competitors out there, the toughest, the biggest, hardest, meanest guys around,” he said. “There’s no shame in testing yourself against the best.” He praised Dubois for returning from setbacks in his career and said he intended to follow a similar path. “Daniel’s a testament to coming up short and coming again,” Wardley said. “I’ll be looking to do the exact same thing.” Wardley became WBO champion after Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title last November. Dubois, meanwhile, had previously held the IBF heavyweight belt before losing it to Usyk in London in July last year. Dubois later returned to the title picture by defeating Wardley in their first meeting, and Saturday’s victory strengthened his position among the leading contenders in the heavyweight division. Croatian boxer Filip Hrgovic, who became IBF champion after beating Britain’s Moses Itauma in August, watched the rematch from ringside and challenged Dubois to a bout with both titles at stake. “It was an easy night for Daniel. He did a good job, quick win. So he’s ready to fight me in March, right Daniel?” Hrgovic said. Promoter Frank Warren, however, suggested Hrgovic might need to face other contenders before securing the fight. Dubois previously defeated Hrgovic in June 2024 to win the interim IBF title. He was subsequently elevated to full champion after Usyk vacated the belt. The British champion said he wanted another opportunity to face the Croatian and reclaim the title he had lost. “I want to have a rematch with him, I want to get my old belt back and rule the division,” Dubois said. Post navigation Fakhar Zaman Pakistan opener becomes first to hit 100 T20I sixes
