Daniel Dubois is plotting a long reign as world heavyweight champion after demonstrating his mental toughness in a gripping firefight win over British rival Fabio Wardley.
Put on to the seat of his pants after just 10 seconds, Dubois also took a knee in the third round after another brutal overhand right from Wardley, who was making the first defence of his WBO title.
But Dubois, whose ability to dig deep when he is in the trenches has been questioned in the past, reversed the tide and left Wardley a crimson mess to earn an 11th-round stoppage in Manchester.
A rematch clause is in place and Dubois, a former WBA ‘regular’ and IBF champion admitted he was happy to go again, after proving his fortitude in a thunderous war for the ages at the Co-op Live.
“I’m going to go on another good run – I need a nice rest now,” said Dubois, who said he took more satisfaction from this win than what he did from beating Anthony Joshua in September 2024.
“I was a bit nervy to start off with and a bit all over the place but I pulled it together and got the victory.
“I needed to get whacked, come back up, I felt like a warrior in there, digging deep and coming back. I wasn’t going to be denied. I owed my dad and the people in my corner and I couldn’t let them down.
“I want to congratulate Fabio on a great fight. What a warrior he is, he’s a tough cookie. He took my shots and just tested me. If the rematch happens, bring it on.”
- Lennox Lewis def. Frank Bruno, October 1993
- Lennox Lewis def. Henry Akinwande, July 1997
- David Haye def. Audley Harrison, November 2010
- Tyson Fury def. Dillian Whyte, April 2022
- Tyson Fury def. Derek Chisora, December 2022
- Daniel Dubois def. Anthony Joshua, September 2024
- Daniel Dubois def. Fabio Wardley, May 2026
Dubois was ridiculed and labelled a “quitter” by fellow boxers after losing for the first time to Joe Joyce in 2020, while a couple of stoppage defeats to Oleksandr Usyk put more scrutiny on the Londoner.
After being poleaxed by the Ukrainian last July, footage emerged of Dubois and his father hosting a party at their household just hours beforehand, although they did the same ahead of his win over Joshua.
Dubois (23-3 22KOs) was pensive before facing Wardley, walking out of two interviews, but trainer Don Charles – fired then rehired after the second Usyk defeat – believes his charge has silenced his critics.
“No human being on this planet could ever question this kid ever again,” Charles said. “Certainly don’t question him in front of me. What he showed, he erased any doubt of all the negative talk.
“Because we were victorious, it’s almost like I’m glad the fight went that way so he could demonstrate, this quitting narrative is not right. I think he ticked every box.”
Wardley’s fairytale run from boxing on white-collar shows to becoming world champion was built on his resilience, twice coming back from the brink to stop Justis Huni and Joseph Parker in the last 12 months.
But the bridge of his nose was gushing blood and his right eye was almost swollen shut before referee Howard Foster stepped in as Wardley suffered the first defeat of his 22-fight professional career.
The punishment Wardley sustained led to accusations his team or Foster could have interjected earlier, with the Ipswich fighter twice inspected by the ringside doctor ahead of the ninth and 10th rounds.
But Frank Warren, who promotes both Wardley and Dubois, said: “There’s nothing to complain about with this fight, it was a great fight.”
