Daniel Dubois retains WBO heavyweight world title after second-round stoppage win over Fabio Wardley

Daniel Dubois devastatingly beat Fabio Wardley to successfully retain his WBO heavyweight title on Saturday night.

The O2 Arena showdown lasted just two rounds with referee Steve Gray waving off the fight with 39 seconds remaining in the second. As Gray waved it off, Wardley’s trainer Ben Davison also threw in the towel.

This contest was rematch five months on from their humdinger in May, where Dubois survived two knockdowns – the first after just 10 seconds – to win Wardley’s strap.

This time around it was Dubois who came out firing from the start, dropping his fellow Brit to the canvas inside the opening 20 seconds with a straight right.

After surviving the first round, the second proved the same for Wardley as he was overwhelmed by Dubois’ relentless pressure before Gray decided he had seen enough.

‘Fabio is a great boy, coming in for the second time, but it was my time and my era. I had my intentions, bad intentions from the beginning,’ Dubois, 29, said.

‘My back was against the wall the first time, this time we just had to go out there and show that we mean business, which is what we did tonight.’

Asked who he wants to face next, Dubois said: ‘Whoever is next in line, really. I’m the champion now, and I want to get some big fights in. At this stage in my career, big money, big fights.’

Wardley, 31, suffered the second defeat of his 23-fight professional career but insists there is ‘no shame’ in the outcome.

‘I have always thrown myself in with the best competitors out there, the best in the business, the biggest, hardest, meanest guys around so, there is no shame in a loss when you’re testing yourself against the best,’ he said.

What next for Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley?

Dubois’ first defence of the title he seized from Wardley in May positions him for unification fights as well as the possibility of facing the winner of Tyson Fury’s bout against Anthony Joshua on December 11.

For Wardley, it may be a rebuild against lesser opponents before coming back to fight for another world title.

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