'Fight of the year': Daniel Dubois overcomes early dramas to claim heavyweight world title

Daniel Dubois showed up late, got knocked down early and still beat Fabio Wardley to become WBO heavyweight champion in what has been dubbed the "fight of the year".

Dubois stopped Wardley in the 11th round to win the title in Manchester after reportedly being delayed by traffic on his arrival at the Co-Op Arena.

Wardley dropped Dubois just 10 seconds into the bout with an overhand right, and again in the third round, but the former IBF champion rebounded both times and dominated from there by landing heavy rights that bloodied his opponent.

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"I know I've got heart, bundles of heart, I'm a warrior in there," Dubois said.

“What a great fight, what a great battle. I'm No.1 again.”

Wardley absorbed blow after blow without going down before referee Howard Foster halted the bout early in the 11th, stepping in to wave it off.

It’s the first professional loss for Wardley (20-1-1) in what was his first title defence.

“He's a durable guy ... great warrior. An honour to be in the ring with him," Dubois said.

Dubois lost his IBF belt to Oleksandr Usyk via a fifth-round knockout at Wembley Stadium last July, marking his second loss to the Ukrainian legend.

Dubois could be on a collision course with rising star Moses Itauma, who was ringside.

WBO president Gustavo Olivieri has said after Itauma’s demolition of Jermaine Franklin he’ll recommend the British southpaw become the WBO mandatory challenger.

Frank Warren, the promoter for both Dubois and Wardley, said in the ring, however, that there's a rematch clause in the contract.

Usyk holds the WBA, WBC and IBF belts. The 39-year-old's next bout is against former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.