Daniel Dubois stops Fabio Wardley in two rounds to retain WBO heavyweight title
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Fight | Daniel Dubois vs. Fabio Wardley II |
| Date | Saturday, October 17, 2026 |
| Venue | O2 Arena, London |
| Result | Dubois TKO 2 (corner retirement) |
| Title | WBO heavyweight — Dubois retained |
| Records after | Dubois 24-3; Wardley 20-2-1 |
Daniel Dubois needed less than two rounds to settle his rivalry with Fabio Wardley. Five months after coming back from two knockdowns to stop Wardley in the 11th round in Manchester, Dubois dropped him with a straight right about 17 seconds into their rematch at the O2 Arena on October 17, 2026, and kept attacking until Wardley’s corner threw in the towel in the second round. Referee Steve Gray stopped the fight.
Wardley was saved by the bell at the end of the first round but never recovered. Both of Wardley’s professional defeats have now come against Dubois, and the result confirms Dubois as the best active heavyweight in Britain.
Two fights, two stoppages
| First fight | Rematch | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | May 9, 2026 | October 17, 2026 |
| Venue | Co-op Live, Manchester | O2 Arena, London |
| Knockdowns | Wardley dropped Dubois in rounds 1 and 3 | Dubois dropped Wardley inside the first 17 seconds |
| Result | Dubois TKO 11 (0:28) | Dubois TKO 2 |
| Title | Dubois won the WBO title | Dubois retained |
What's next: Hrgovic
IBF champion Filip Hrgovic, who won the vacant title by stopping Moses Itauma at the same arena in August, was ringside and challenged Dubois to a unification fight, suggesting March. Promoter Frank Warren said Hrgovic might have to face other candidates first, and Dubois said he wants to win back his old IBF belt and “rule the division”.
Hrgovic’s only professional loss came against Dubois in June 2024, when the fight was stopped on cuts. A rematch for the WBO and IBF titles would be the first unification fight of the post-Usyk era.
| Belt | Champion | How he won it |
|---|---|---|
| WBO | Daniel Dubois | Beat Fabio Wardley, May 9, 2026 |
| IBF | Filip Hrgovic | Beat Moses Itauma for the vacant title, Aug 29, 2026 |
| WBC | Agit Kabayel | Elevated from interim, Jun 27, 2026 |
| WBA | Not settled | Vacated by Usyk, Jun 26, 2026 |
Our take
The first fight was the better spectacle; the rematch was the better performance. Dubois started fast, landed the punch he had been looking for in May and finished the job without letting Wardley’s power back into the fight. It was the most complete win of his career since he knocked out Anthony Joshua at Wembley in 2024.
Dubois–Hrgovic II is the fight to make. Both men hold a belt, the first fight ended inconclusively on cuts, and a unification would give the heavyweight division the clear structure it has lacked since Usyk vacated. Our pick, if it happens: Dubois, on current form.
Wardley’s stock barely dropped across the two fights. He is a dangerous, entertaining heavyweight who ran into the best version of Dubois twice.
Dubois' career in title fights
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 2024 | Filip Hrgovic | Won (stopped on cuts) — interim IBF title |
| Sep 2024 | Anthony Joshua | KO 5 — retained IBF title, Wembley |
| Jul 2025 | Oleksandr Usyk | Lost by KO 5 — undisputed title fight |
| May 9, 2026 | Fabio Wardley | TKO 11 — won WBO title |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Fabio Wardley | TKO 2 — retained WBO title |