Daniel Dubois defends the WBO heavyweight title against Fabio Wardley on Saturday, October 17 at The O2 in London, five months after the two produced one of the best fights of the year in Manchester. The rematch streams on DAZN pay-per-view, with main event ring walks expected around 10:30 p.m. BST (5:30 p.m. ET).
What’s at stake
Dubois makes the first defense of the belt he took from Wardley on May 9 at Co-op Live. Wardley dropped him inside the opening 10 seconds and again in the third round, but Dubois took control from the fourth and referee Howard Foster stopped it in the 11th with Wardley still on his feet.
The win made Dubois a two-time heavyweight champion after his earlier IBF reign. Wardley, who was making his own first defense that night, invoked his rematch clause within days, and the sequel was announced at The O2 on the night Filip Hrgovic stopped Moses Itauma.
“Running this fight again was Fabio’s call,” promoter Frank Warren said when the date was set. “The first fight was an old fashioned barnstormer and so many people told me it was the best and most exciting fight they had ever seen.”
For Dubois, a second win settles the argument and keeps him in the unification conversation. For Wardley, it’s a chance to get the title back before the division moves on without him.
The case for Daniel Dubois
Dubois, 23-3 with 22 knockouts, says he walked into the first fight carrying the weight of his loss to Oleksandr Usyk. “I was coming off a defeat last time, so I was a bit nervous and stuff. It is just a fresh start for me now,” he said at the launch press conference, adding that he wants to “take him out in style this time.”
He has also gone after Wardley’s power, telling Ring Magazine that the challenger “punches like a baby.” Manchester also answered the old questions about his resolve: he was down twice early and still took over the fight from the fourth round on.
Plenty of observers expect a repeat. Analyst Paul Smith said Wardley has to change a lot to beat Dubois, and doubted he could.
The case for Fabio Wardley
Wardley, 20-1-1 with 19 knockouts, already knows he can hurt Dubois. He blames his own impatience, not the champion, for letting the first fight slip away. “I felt like I was a victim of my own success in them early stages,” he said.
“It was me that triggered the rematch clause and it was me that basically said to Frank and the team, I want this as soon as possible,” Wardley added. This week he told reporters he sees “a number of flaws” in Dubois that he can exploit.
He laughed off the power talk, too. “I think he needs to pay attention to what he says because he did an interview the other day where he says I was the hardest puncher he’s ever been in the ring with,” Wardley said.
Wardley has come from behind before. He was trailing Joseph Parker and Justis Huni before stopping both late, and the Parker win is what put him in line for the WBO belt in the first place.
Full fight card
| Bout | Division | Rounds |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Dubois (c) vs. Fabio Wardley | Heavyweight, WBO title | 12 |
| Louie O’Doherty vs. Michael Gomez Jr. | Lightweight, British and Commonwealth titles | 12 |
| Bakhodir Jalolov vs. Solomon Dacres | Heavyweight | 10 |
| Tony Curtis vs. Kerim Agius | Super flyweight | 8 |
Nelson Birchall, Leighton Birchall, Fawas Aborode and Zayn Ahmed also feature on the undercard.
How to watch
DAZN’s coverage starts at 7 p.m. BST (2 p.m. ET, 11 a.m. PT) on Saturday, with Dubois and Wardley expected in the ring around 10:30 p.m. BST (5:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. PT). Ring walk times can shift depending on how quickly the undercard moves.
The card is a DAZN pay-per-view priced at £24.99 in the UK and $59.99 in the US. It’s included at no extra cost for DAZN Ultimate subscribers.
