British superstar cements legacy with world title ‘destruction’
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Daniel Dubois has retained his WBO heavyweight title in emphatic fashion, stopping Fabio Wardley in a “two-round destruction” on Sunday (AEDT).
In a rematch from their title slugfest earlier this year, Dubois went on the attack early and dropped Wardley in the opening round at London’s O2 Arena.
Daniel Dubois drops Fabio Wardley. AP
He continued to pile on the pressure in the second round and after Wardley copped a barrage of punches in the corner, his team threw in the towel.
Dubois celebrated immediately, as he improved his record to 24-3 with a dominant display in the much-anticipated rematch against an outclassed Wardley.
“Daniel Dubois with a two-round destruction of Fabio Wardley to retain his heavyweight title,” journalist Chris Mannix said via X.
“Completely one-sided fight. Dubois looked sharp, heavy-handed. The No. 2 heavyweight in the world, behind [Oleksandr] Usyk.”
Former world champ Tony Bellew labelled it as a “demolition” from Dubois, while Ariel Helwani described it as an “absolute annihilation”.
“Dubois wins via second round TKO. Davison throws in the towel. An absolute annihilation. It was never close. DDD was a man possessed,” Hewlani said.
The victory cements Dubois’ legacy as one of the greatest British heavyweights of the modern era, standing alongside Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
Of his three professional defeats, two of them came against Oleksandr Usyk, who is widely regarded as the best heavyweight of this generation.
After the fight, Dubois squared off against Filip Hrgovic, who holds the IBF belt at heavyweight, teasing a potential unification bout for 2027.
