Daniel Dubois retained his heavyweight title with a dominant second-round stoppage of Fabio Wardley at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday.
The 29-year-old needed only two rounds to defeat his British rival, producing a more emphatic result than their thrilling first encounter in May.
Dubois’ victory strengthens his position among the heavyweight division’s leading fighters and opens the door to potential unification bouts in 2027.
IBF champion Filip Hrgovic has already signalled his interest in a rematch, entering the ring after Dubois’ victory. Dubois stopped the Croatian in June 2024, but Hrgovic has since claimed the vacant IBF title with a victory over British prospect Moses Itauma in August.
However, Hrgovic faces a mandatory challenge from Cuba’s Frank Sanchez, with promoter Frank Warren working towards staging the champion’s first defence in Croatia early next year.
Dubois could also pursue a lucrative fight against the winner of the December showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
“All those names are there to do a unification fight next year and that’s what we’ll be working on,” Warren said.
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Germany’s Agit Kabayel, who was elevated to WBC champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title, is another potential opponent for Dubois. The unbeaten 34-year-old is scheduled to make his first defence against Albania’s Nelson Hysa on 28 November.
For Wardley, the defeat raises questions about his next move after his title challenge ended so quickly. Although he has demonstrated that he can compete at world level, he will need to make technical adjustments if he hopes to challenge the division’s leading fighters again.
A return against a lower-ranked opponent could help him rebuild confidence before pursuing another opportunity at the top level.
Dubois, meanwhile, can now focus on securing a major fight as he targets unification and a chance to establish himself further among the heavyweight elite.
