Daniel Dubois showcased immense resilience, recovering from two knockdowns to reclaim the heavyweight world championship in a grueling battle against Fabio Wardley.
Promoter Frank Warren hailed the heavyweight clash as the greatest he has ever promoted, and it lived up to the billing from the opening bell. Dubois hit the canvas within the first ten seconds and again in the third round, but he proved to be the more precise and punishing fighter in between those moments.
After eleven brutal rounds, referee Howard Foster stepped in to stop a bloodied Wardley, who was still on his feet, crowning Dubois as the new WBO champion.
In the post-fight press conference, the 28-year-old victor offered enormous praise to his opponent, calling him “a tough cookie” in what might be the understatement of the year. Speaking candidly after a tense fight week, Dubois also opened up about his own inner struggle following a stoppage loss to heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk last year.
“What a warrior he is. He’s a tough cookie. He took my shots. God just tested me in that fight. I had to come through my inner battle after coming off a loss, so I was a bit nervy in there. But what a warrior. I’m honoured to share the ring with a fighter like Fabio… We were both in that sort of weary state. It was just a war. We both gave each other everything we had.”
Dubois then reflected on being dropped almost immediately after the opening bell.
“I needed to get whacked and come back up. I felt like a warrior in there, digging deep and coming back. I wasn’t gonna be denied. I had my dad and my people in the corner, and I couldn’t let them down… What a shot in the first round. I didn’t really feel it. I was like ‘wow, what am I doing here?’ I had to quickly jump back up and go for it.”
In the third round, the new champion made a quick decision to take a knee when he was hurt again. In hindsight, it proved one of the most intelligent moves of the fight, as he took control from that point on, aside from the spells of danger that Wardley consistently posed.
Wardley somehow stayed on his feet until the stoppage, though many believe his corner could have pulled him earlier, even considering his known ability to turn the tide.
