Daniel Dubois secured a second-round stoppage against Fabio Wardley at the O2 Arena in London to successfully defend his WBO heavyweight title.
Dominant start
The 29-year-old knocked Wardley down with a straight right hand within the first 20 seconds of the rematch and maintained pressure throughout the opening round. Wardley managed to reach the second round, but a further sustained attack from Dubois led his corner to throw in the towel.
This outcome follows their previous bout five months prior in Manchester, where Dubois recovered from being knocked down twice to win an 11-round contest. With this victory, Dubois advanced his professional record to 24 wins, including 23 by knockout, alongside three defeats.
Post-fight reaction
“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 said following the bout.
“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.”
For the 31-year-old Wardley, the result marks the second loss of his 23-fight professional career.