Daniel Dubois has silenced every question about his heart and determination, climbing off the canvas twice to stop Fabio Wardley in the 11th round and claim the WBO heavyweight championship in what Frank Warren described as one of the best fights he has ever promoted.
The Co-op Live Arena in Manchester witnessed a genuine war. Dubois was dropped in the opening round by a right hand on top of his head, recovered in round two, and was knocked down again in round three before finally finding his rhythm and gradually taking control of the fight.
From there, Dubois used his jab and footwork to work his way back into contention, overcoming Wardley’s effective counter-punching through the middle rounds with superior boxing as the fight progressed. The finish came at 28 seconds of round 11 when referee Howard Foster intervened with Wardley’s right eye badly impaired and blood pouring from his nose.
Dubois was emotional and direct in his post-fight comments.
“That was a war, thank you Fabio. I know I’ve got heart — I’m a warrior. Early it was just flash knockdowns. I had to get back to my boxing.”
Warren matched the moment with his own assessment.
“That’s the best heavyweight fight I’ve ever put on.”
DAZN commentator Wade Plemons posted on X that the fight was one of the greatest heavyweight world title fights he had ever witnessed.
Dubois is now a two-time world heavyweight champion and the first man to defeat the previously unbeaten Wardley professionally. It was his first fight since Oleksandr Usyk knocked him out at Wembley Stadium in July last year. WBO mandatory challenger Moses Itauma is among the names expected to shape the title picture around Dubois when both parties are ready to return.