Dubois vs Wardley 2: WBO heavyweight title rematch at O2 Arena
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- Daniel Dubois defends his WBO heavyweight title against Fabio Wardley on Saturday, October 17.
- The rematch takes place at the O2 Arena in London, five months after their first fight.
- The main card starts at 7 PM BST, and the main event ring walks are set for about 10:30 PM BST.
Daniel Dubois faces Fabio Wardley again on Saturday night. The WBO heavyweight title is on the line. The rematch takes place at the O2 Arena in London.
What happened
The two men fought before in May. The first fight took place in Manchester. Wardley was the champion that night.
He dropped Dubois in the first round. He dropped him again in the third round. Dubois got up both times.
He took control of the fight. He stopped Wardley in the 11th round. The win gave Dubois the WBO title.
Dubois now makes the first defence of that title. DAZN called the first fight a possible Fight of the Year. Wardley was unbeaten before that night.
The loss was the first defeat of his pro career.
The weigh-in
Both men weighed in on Friday. The weigh-in took place at Old Spitalfields Market in east London. Dubois weighed 18 stone 2 pounds.
That is 115 kg. Wardley weighed 17 stone 10 pounds. That is 112 kg.
Both men came in at their career-heaviest weights. Dubois was more than 2 pounds heavier than last time. Wardley was more than 6 pounds heavier than last time.
Dubois is 29 years old. He has 23 wins from 26 fights. He has won 22 fights by knockout.
Wardley is 31 years old. He has 20 wins, 1 defeat and 1 draw. He has won 19 fights by knockout.
What the fighters said
Wardley wants revenge. He said: "Revenge, Fabio Wardley, knockout win."
He also said: "It is simply seek and destroy now."
He told the Guardian he can right the wrongs of the first fight.
He said: "I can right those wrongs. Now is the fun bit."
He predicted a wild night. He said: "It is going to be a crazy night."
Wardley played down the damage from the first fight. He said his nose was not broken. He said the damage was only on the surface.
He said tiredness hurt him more than the punches.
He plans to learn from his two fights with Frazer Clarke. The first Clarke fight ended in a draw. That draw came in March 2024.
The rematch ended with Wardley winning by knockout. That win came in just over two minutes.
Dubois is calm and sure of himself.
He said: "I know him now and know what to expect."
He also said: "I am ready for a tear up. Let us go."
He told the Guardian he will finish the fight faster this time.
He said: "I will finish it quicker."
He added: "I have got his number."
He says he is a better and improved fighter now. He plans to be more clinical this time.
Why it matters
The WBO title is a world title in boxing. The winner stays in the hunt for bigger fights. A win keeps Dubois on course for bigger fights.
A loss would hand the belt back to Wardley. It would also shake up the heavyweight division.
Dubois starts as the favourite. He won the first fight from a hard spot. He was down twice and still came back.
He has also beaten Anthony Joshua before. He has also beaten Filip Hrgovic. Hrgovic now holds the IBF version of the title.
Those wins give Dubois a strong record at the top level.
Wardley has a clear path to a shock win. He hurt Dubois early in the first fight. He knows he can drop the champion.
He must now keep Dubois down. He must also avoid the late rounds that cost him last time.
Veteran heavyweight Derek Chisora gave his own view on radio. He said Wardley would push hard in the first three rounds. He said Dubois would then win by knockout.
That view shows how most fans see the fight. Wardley must prove them wrong.
Elsewhere in boxing, Jake Paul is plotting a boxing comeback. This is a rematch story, and rematches can flip a rivalry fast.
What happens next
The venue is the O2 Arena in London. The fight takes place on Saturday, October 17.
The main card starts at 7 PM BST.
The main event ring walks are set for about 10:30 PM BST. DAZN will show the fight. It is on DAZN Pay-Per-View and DAZN Ultimate.
The pay-per-view price is about 25 pounds in the UK. It is about 60 dollars in the US. Fans can watch on the DAZN app.
The app works on smart TVs, phones, tablets and laptops.
The undercard has four more fights. Louie O'Doherty faces Michael Gomez Jr. O'Doherty defends his British and Commonwealth lightweight titles.
Adam Olaniyan faces Dan Garber in a heavyweight bout. Bakhodir Jalolov faces Solomon Dacres in another heavyweight bout. Nelson Birchall faces Levi Gilles in a super-featherweight bout.
A second win for Dubois would settle the rivalry. It would keep him on course for bigger fights. A Wardley win would be one of the big upsets of the year.
It would give him the title back. Either way, the first fight set a high bar. Fans will hope the rematch is just as wild.
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