Daniel Dubois will defend his WBO title against Fabio Wardley on Saturday. Following their spectacular first bout, more than just the world championship belt is at stake in London.
On Saturday, October 17, the O2 Arena in London will host the rematch between WBO world champion Daniel Dubois (23-3, 22 KOs) and challenger Fabio Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KOs). DAZN will broadcast the British heavyweight showdown on pay-per-view. Their first bout in May was full of drama. Wardley sent Dubois to the canvas in the first and third rounds. But the 29-year-old fought his way back, took control as the fight wore on, and ultimately stopped his compatriot in the eleventh round.
Now Wardley is looking to make up for his first professional loss. He has already proven that he excels in rematches against Frazer Clarke: After a draw in their first bout, he won the rematch by first-round knockout. This time around, Wardley is likely to try to unleash his punching power early on. Dubois, on the other hand, wants to avoid the mistakes he made in the first fight and use his strong jab and hard right hand more consistently. The experts at the trade magazine *The Ring* therefore see the WBO champion as having the advantage.
For both boxers, there’s more at stake than just the world championship belt. Following Oleksandr Usyk’s decision to relinquish his titles, the heavyweight division has been reshaped. Filip Hrgović now holds the IBF title, while Agit Kabayel is the WBC world champion. Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are set to fight for the WBA crown in December. A victory could put Dubois or Wardley in position for a unification bout. A rematch between Dubois and Hrgović would be particularly interesting: in 2024, the Brit stopped the Croatian after eight rounds. First, however, Dubois must defend his WBO belt. And Wardley has already proven that he can send the champion to the canvas at any time.