Daniel Dubois stops Fabio Wardley in second round of WBO rematch
Daniel Dubois retained his WBO heavyweight world title after stopping Fabio Wardley in the second round of their rematch at London's O2 Arena. Dubois hurt his challenger from the opening bell, flooring Wardley briefly to one knee with a right cross inside the first round before continuing an unanswered assault.
The champion maintained his dominance in the second round, trapping Wardley in a corner with a barrage of punches. With the challenger taking heavy punishment, trainer Ben Davison threw in the towel to prompt the referee to halt the contest and confirm Dubois's defence.
On the undercard, two-time Olympic super-heavyweight champion Bakhodir Jalolov secured a unanimous decision against Solomon Dacres over 10 rounds, with scores of 99-91 and 99-90 twice. Irish heavyweight Adam Olaniyan also earned a second-round stoppage over Dan Garber.
- Frank Warren announced the rematch at The O2 on 29 August 2026, setting it for 17 October at the same venue under the first fight's contractual rematch clause.
- Daniel Dubois won the WBO heavyweight title from Fabio Wardley at Manchester's Co-op Live Arena in May 2026, recovering from two knockdowns before referee Howard Foster stopped the fight in the 11th round.
