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Daniel Dubois retains WBO heavyweight title with second-round TKO
Daniel Dubois successfully defended his WBO heavyweight title with a dominant second-round technical knockout victory over Fabio Wardley at the O2 Arena in London. The rematch, held on October 17, 2026, saw Dubois assert control almost immediately, dropping Wardley with a powerful right hand just 17 seconds into the first round.
While Wardley managed to survive the opening frame, Dubois maintained relentless pressure throughout the second round. The bout was stopped at the 2:21 mark of the second round after Wardley’s corner, led by trainer Ben Davison, threw in the towel to protect their fighter from further damage. This marks Dubois’ second victory over Wardley in five months, following their 11-round encounter in May.
With this win, Dubois improves his professional record to 24 victories and three losses. The result has set the stage for potential heavyweight unification bouts. IBF champion Filip Hrgovic entered the ring following the match to challenge Dubois, expressing a strong desire for a rematch to unify the titles, potentially in Croatia.
Entities
Bakhodir Jalolov · DAZN · Daniel Dubois · Fabio Wardley · Filip Hrgovic · Frank Warren · O2 Arena · Queensberry Promotions · The O2 · WBO