Daniel Dubois vs. Fabio Wardley II | DAZN - 17 October 2026

[SeanBrennan]

1st fight was only 5 months ago

Honestly no matter what happens with this fight. Even if it's a 1st round KO. These 2 have been the best thing in Heavyweight Boxing this year, and should be applauded for it.

I'm excited for whatever may come, and I'll be rooting like hell for Wardley to get redemption. Wardley's my dude.

My thoughts exactly

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight night!!

[Ruthless-RKO]

Carl Froch (former super-middleweight kingpin)
Speaking on his podcast, Froch said: “When I look at Wardley, he took a lot of damage in that [first] fight.

"Dubois actually finished strong, stood proud and was full of energy.

“In the rematch, I just think Dubois has got an extra 10 percent over Wardley — and I think that’ll be enough.

“So Wardley, unfortunately, I don’t think will get the job done and he’ll probably get stopped again.

“Dubois is going to be coming into this fight really confident.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Derek Chisora (veteran heavyweight)
During an appearance on talkSPORT, Chisora said: “I think this is Wardley’s last fight. I don’t think he wants to box anymore.

“This is his cash out. After three rounds, Daniel’s going to win it with a knockout.”

George Groves (ex-WBA super-middleweight champ)
Speaking as a guest on the Toe2Toe podcast, Groves said: “Dubois is the better boxer. He has better movement and faster hands. They both can crack, but Dubois has got crazy power.

“Let’s get it straight, Wardley has no amateur pedigree and is a very limited boxer — but very effective with the way that he is.

“He is big, strong, powerful, game and maybe has a slight awkwardness to his style.

“Dubois figured that out last time and really, when you think about him getting dropped in the first and third rounds, it was a special performance from him.

“I think that if he shows up, he walks it.”

Agit Kabayel (WBC world heavyweight champ)
During an interview with Playbook Boxing, Kabayel said: “I think maybe Daniel wins, but this is heavyweight boxing.

“Definitely [Wardley has a chance], but I watched the reaction from [Oleksandr] Usyk for the fight with Fabio and Daniel and what he said is correct.

“Fabio lost the fight on his jab. He forgot his jab, he came only with the right hand.

“When Fabio makes this better in the second fight, he can beat him.

“The winner of the fight, maybe he can fight [Filip] Hrgovic or me for the belts.”

Johnny Nelson (ex-WBO world cruiserweight champion)
On an episode of talkBOXING, Nelson said: "It's about levels and [their last fight] shows quite clearly that Daniel's is way above Fabio's.

"I think Fabio is going to box so much better, but Daniel is going to step it up even more."

[Ruthless-RKO]

Will he look worse than this?

Depends on how long he can take a beating for this time around. If ref or corner saves him.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley both career heaviest for heavyweight title rematch | 'Definitely not going the distance'

Both Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley weighed in at a career heaviest for their WBO heavyweight championship rematch.

London's Dubois had scaled a career heaviest for their first fight and he topped that at 253.9lbs for Saturday's rematch while Wardley was 248.3lbs.

Dubois said that means they're both going for power in this fight. "I'm ready to go, ready for my job," he told Sky Sports. "I'll break him down, break him down. Like last time, but better this time."

The Londoner halted Wardley in a frenetic first fight in May but the former champion excised the rematch clause in his contract in a bid to win back his title.

Wardley is fully expecting the same type of battle. "Knowing it's going to be a hard, hard fight is what gees me up, what keeps me going," he told Sky Sports.

"It was well and truly something I came to terms with the second I pressed the button on the rematch clause. We're probably going back into the same kind of depths."

At Friday's weigh-in at Spitalfields Market in the heart of the City of London the two heavyweight rivals finished with a final face off, their last head-to-head encounter before Saturday's fight.

"I need to get through this to get to bigger things," Dubois declared. "I'm just ready to do my job on Saturday.

"Just want to go to work now."

Although Dubois won their first contest, his team insists he retains his singular focus.

His trainer Don Charles told Sky Sports: "Once he's in that mode, fight mode, he's in the zone and I love that from him.

"Once Daniel gets a fight date, he's locked in from that moment. He's a very intense athlete, intense character, he's a serious athlete. Everybody's got their different attributes. That's one of his strongest attributes.

"He doesn't have any outside distractions. That's refreshing."

Charles added: "We've prepared for a better version of Fabio. We have to anticipate for that. Because if you don't, that would be complacent of us and we don't have any complacency."

Both heavyweights appear confident. Promoter Frank~Warren told Sky Sports: "That's the thing about these two guys, so much self-belief the pair of them, they both think they've got each other's number.

"And the one thing they can do, they can both punch and that's why this fight is going to be so exciting. It's definitely not going to go the distance."

'I just want all the belts'

Both men are looking forward to the biggest fights in the division. "It could lead on to unification fights. The landscape of heavyweight boxing is very different from when we had the first fight," Wardley told Sky Sports.

"The belts have been fragmented, the division's opened up, there's multiple world champions which then leads to multiple unification fights.

"Fury-AJ, of course, the winner there, there's a world title belt on the line there. There's [WBC titlist Agit] Kabayel, there's [IBF champion Filip] Hrgovic, I'm not particularly picky.

"I have no personal vendetta against any of these guys. I just want to hold all of them belts."

[Ruthless-RKO]

Dubois and Wardley at career-heaviest for rematch

Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley both weighed in at their career-heaviest and promised another explosive encounter in Saturday's heavyweight world-title rematch in London.

WBO champion Dubois tipped the scales at 18st 2lb (115kg) while Wardley came in at 17st 10lb (112kg) before their meeting at the O2 Arena.

The British rivals produced a fight-of-the-year contender in Manchester in May, with Wardley flooring Dubois twice before the Londoner rallied to stop his bloodied and battered opponent in the 11th round.

"I draw confidence from the successes I had in the first fight - getting knockdowns in the first and third," Wardley, 31, said.

"I need to capitalise on those moments better. I'm ready to put on a cleaner performance."

Dubois, 29, is more than 2lb heavier for the rematch, while Wardley has added more than 6lb.

Asked for his prediction, Wardley added: "Revenge, Fabio Wardley, knockout win."

Subdued scenes at Spitalfields Market

The final pre-fight formalities took place at Old Spitalfields Market in east London, with the two heavyweights taking to the scales amid the bustle of street-food stalls and shoppers.

A couple of hundred fans gathered beneath the market's Victorian roof, some having made the trip specifically for the event while others stopped to see what the fuss was about.

It was a rather subdued affair, with a smaller turnout than when Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic weighed in at the same venue in August.

Wardley arrived more than an hour before the event, appearing as relaxed as he has throughout fight week and even stopping for selfies with supporters afterwards.

Dubois arrived much later and has appeared in little mood for conversation this week. Once again, he was typically economical with his words.

"I know him now and know what to expect. I'm ready to go and do my job," the Londoner said. "I'm ready for a tear up. Let's go."

There was no drama at the obligatory face-off, despite the fierce rivalry that has developed between them, and two-time world champion Dubois was quick to leave the stage afterwards.

Could we see a trilogy?

With 41 knockouts between them from 43 victories, few expect the contest to go the distance.

Wardley, sporting Ipswich Town's newly-launched third kit with his name printed on the sleeve, was still bearing the scars of his punishing defeat in Manchester five months ago.

A cut across the bridge of his nose, first sustained during his 2024 draw with Frazer Clarke, reopened against Dubois and left his face badly swollen and bloodied.

The punishment he absorbed has raised questions over whether his decision to take an immediate rematch has come too soon but Wardley remains confident he can reverse the result.

"It's simply seek and destroy now," he said.

Promoter allegedly is predicting a "blockbuster" 2027 for the heavyweight division, with lucrative fights awaiting Saturday's winner.

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will finally meet in Cardiff on 11 December, while British prospect Itauma is set to return in January following his world-title defeat by Hrgovic.

Warren confirmed there is no clause for a third fight between Dubois and Wardley but the Queensberry Promotions boss refused to rule out a trilogy if the Ipswich fighter avenges the only defeat on his record.

"If that happens it's a natural fight," Warren said. "That's what's so intriguing about this. Who will they fight next year? We want to find out who is the best."

[Ruthless-RKO]

Daniel Dubois, Fabio Wardley tip scales at career-heavy weights for rematch

Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley both registered career-heavy weights ahead of their WBO title rematch on Saturday.

Dubois (23-3, 22 KOs) eclipsed his previous heaviest of 251.7 pounds in the pair's last fight, coming in at 253.9 pounds at Friday's weigh-in in east London.

Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KOs), who is looking to reclaim his WBO belt and typically weighs around 242 pounds, weighed 248.3 pounds.

The pair will face off in a highly anticipated rematch on Saturday with Dubois' heavyweight title on the line.

The first meeting, which Dubois won with a Round 11 stoppage in May, is a fight of the year contender and the second instalment is expected to be equally as captivating and brutal.

"It's simply seek and destroy now," Wardley said at Old Spitalfields Market in east London.

"All the talking, all the words, fun and games are ticked off. It's laser focus for tomorrow night.

"I draw confidence from the first fight, the successes I had in that. Knockdown in the first round, knockdown in the third. All i need to do is cap on those better, cleaner performance and get the job done."

Dubois said: "I know him now. I know what to expect and I'm just ready to go out there and do my job.

"I'm ready for whatever comes on Saturday."

The winner will have huge fights on offer in 2027.

WBC champion Agit Kabayel will fight next month, while the winner of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, who will finally fight in December, is also an option, with unification bouts a priority.

"That's what we worked on, and that's what we want to happen," Warren told media this week.

"We want to see who's the best, who's the guy, who's the No. 1? We want the public to see the fights. And what we are doing is managing to deliver big gates in big arenas or big stadiums for these fights.

"So when it comes to the big one, when all the belts are on the line, you can imagine what the turnout's going to be for that."

While the build-up this week has been relatively cordial, there have been swipes here and there between the two sides.

Dubois played down Wardley's ability and power, saying his rival "punches like a baby," while Wardley has said he sees several flaws in his opponent.

- Who has the edge in Dubois vs. Wardley II? What the stats tell us about the fight

On Thursday, Wardley's manager, Michael Ofo, said they were unhappy with some of Dubois' tactics in the first fight and have requested a "stronger" referee.

"I wasn't happy with the MMA rugby tackles, there were a few points where he [Dubois] was putting the thumb [out] and sort of pawing in Fabio's face in an effort to open up the cut more," Ofo told ESPN.

"A few rabbit shots and leading with the head.

"We're calling for a stronger referee. Fabio's too much of a gentleman to call those things out but my role is to highlight these things."

[Ruthless-RKO]

Underdog Dacres jumps from Anderson to Jalolov

Solomon Dacres was three weeks out from a potentially life-changing fight against Jared Anderson when he got the call that no boxer ever wants to receive.

“I had just done a good week of sparring in Mallorca with a top Cuban guy and I felt ready,” Dacres tells The Ring. “Then the phone goes, Anderson is injured and the fight’s off just like that.”

What made matters worse is that the 32-year-old had already been out of the ring for the best part of 10 months after injuring his bicep during a career-best victory over the previously undefeated Vladyslav Sirenko at Wembley Stadium in July last year.

He had jumped at the chance to face Anderson (18-1, 15 KOs), the man once tipped to be the face of a resurgence in American heavyweight boxing.

His stoppage defeat by Martin Bakole in August 2024 damaged his reputation somewhat. However, Dacres still knew victory over “The Real Big Baby” would have made a lot of noise to put him in line for some major fights.

Instead, Anderson withdrew from their fight scheduled to take place on the Daniel Dubois-Fabio Wardley I undercard in Manchester on May 9. Dacres has been waiting around ever since.

Now, as Dubois and Wardley meet for their rematch at London’s 02 Arena on Saturday night, Dacres has again jumped at the chance of a fight which many expect him to lose. Out is Anderson but in is the undefeated double Olympic champion Bakhodir Jalolov.

Like Anderson, “The Big Uzbek” has been hailed as the future of the division but, now 32, his career has not quite hit the heights expected of him as yet. For Dacres, that means another opportunity.

“I look at him like an opportunity waiting to happen for someone,” Dacres says. “Realistically as a pro for this long, as an Olympic gold medalist, he should already be knocking on the door for big fights.

“He should have been having them by now. So why has he not had these step ups after all these years? He keeps going back into the amateurs. It seems like a strange career for someone so heavily tipped as a future world champion.

“And it's go time for me. If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it. I believe in myself. I've done all the sparring. I've been in with all the top guys. I've got the amateur pedigree. It's time to act.”

It is now more than seven years since Jalolov (17-0, 15 KOs) made his professional debut but progress in the paid ranks has been halted by his decision to box at the Olympics in 2020 and 2024, claiming gold at both.

He signed promotional terms with Queensberry earlier this year and made his debut for them on the first Wardley-Dubois card, stopping Agron Smakici in the seventh of their 10-rounder.

It was not a vintage display from Jalolov and Dacres (10-1, 3 KOs) is adamant he has more professional seasoning than his opponent despite having fewer fights.

He said: “He’s used to having it all his own way over three rounds in the amateurs. I think over 10 rounds, it doesn’t matter how good you are in the amateurs. If you can’t put those 10 rounds together you can be dragged into it by anyone. I think he has shown that in a couple of fights.

“I’ve got the boxing ability, the stamina and toughness to put the pressure on him a bit and to make it very uncomfortable for him in there. I’ve had a little look at certain things and he’s had a hard time in a couple of fights where it goes beyond four or five rounds against people that aren’t particularly great but they’re durable and tough which is the pro game.

“I feel like I’m someone who has got a bit more to make him think about things technically, and who has that durability and toughness. That’s what makes me think that I can get to him.”

Underdog Dacres, a veteran of four completed 10-rounders, has been priced at around 3/1 (+300) to pull off an upset victory which he believes will fire him right to the top of the division.

“After I win here, I’m knocking on the door to be in the conversation for these big fights,” he adds. “Personally, I’d fight the winner of the main event or I’d fight someone like Murat Gassiev no problem. I want to be going up to the next level and winning these sorts of fights will take me there.

“I’ve had my setbacks, I’ve been out of the ring for 15 months now but you've just got to keep going and keep trusting the processs. You've come this far, you've done all the work. This is a career and you've got to look at it as a career, not a little flash in the pan. I've got to stay the course and that’s what this weekend is all about.”

[Gran Hermano]

Has Wardely's bubble been burst, he's had some hard nights and always come back to prevail, but I wouldnt at all be surprised if Dubois gets to him much earlier. I can't help but think that Wardley's blade has been blunted.

I would never discount Wardley completely as his power can turn a fight quickly, but that's his only real chance here.

I agree Wardley is dangerous in the first few rounds when fresh but I thought the first fight showed there are a few levels between these two and the first result was probably conclusive enough to not warrant a rematch. However the first fight was also a classic which I don't mind seeing again but I think Dubois will be more prepared this time and get Wardley out of there earlier.

[Ezzard]

If Fabio drips him again he will really look to finish it. Dubois has to be a strong favourite. I hope Fab wins to set up a third fight.

[Fearful_Freddie]

Fabio surely has a career in punditry in the future. Articulate and intelligent, basically the opposite of Daniel. I find it hard to warm to Dubois' simpleton persona but it's undeniable he's a beast that demands full respect. Dubois Hrgovic 2 would be my call next if he gets past Wardley. That would be another excellent fight.

[veriton]

Fabio surely has a career in punditry in the future. Articulate and intelligent, basically the opposite of Daniel. I find it hard to warm to Dubois' simpleton persona but it's undeniable he's a beast that demands full respect. Dubois Hrgovic 2 would be my call next if he gets past Wardley. That would be another excellent fight.

Only if his brain survives another bashing at the hands of the skilled simpleton tonight.

[jameswilson]

Fabio surely has a career in punditry in the future. Articulate and intelligent, basically the opposite of Daniel. I find it hard to warm to Dubois' simpleton persona but it's undeniable he's a beast that demands full respect. Dubois Hrgovic 2 would be my call next if he gets past Wardley. That would be another excellent fight.

Yeah he does fit the bill for a pundit job doesn't he.

[Controversial]

I think Dubois stops him quicker this time, apart from the flash knockdowns Dubois was beating him up for most of the fight

[forcefraser]

What is the best outside bet?

Wardley win by stippage rounds 1-3?

Fight not going longer than 4.5 rounds?

Don't see much value in anything else.


Or just go for an odds on Motza Danny D by stoppage?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Wardley will do what he did against Clarke.

Go gung ho.. and try to stop it.

He’s not a boxer.

I don’t think he will have learned much in 5 month.

A lot of the first fight. He had out of ideas pretty quickly

[coneye]

I think where we might differ on this is encouraging kids with enough talent to deviate from the basics if they have strengths that benefit doing so. Like how Haye was able to get away with things you'd never teach because he was so athletic.

More than once in the 90s I saw a really well-schooled kid blown up by an unorthodox style. Imagine running into Naz as a lad! Who went on to confound pros. I'm not sure anybody, Ingle or no, taught him all that much. Arguably to his detriment when he finally met Barrera, loss of his prime aside.

Lots of examples on both sides: for every Naz-Barrera there's a Calzaghe-Woodhall. Saunders was moving away from Canelo's righthand when his preemptive ducking became predictable and he ate the uppercut that finished him. I just think you can sometimes concentrate so hard on not doing anything wrong you don't do much right.

Wardley's kind of the opposite! Dubois should win again, but you never know. Joyce left a blueprint for a man of similar attributes. Keep the pressure on with all the danger that entails, but don't look for the knockout. I bet Joyce didn't realise the shots he stopped Dubois and Parker with were fight-enders when he threw them.

No I don't think we differ , , i do agree if a lad has a style that suits him sometimes they will do things wrong and it works , so if it aint broke why fix it , BUT FIRST they must learn basics , , balance correct punch technique , ect ect , how they incorperate this into there style is something a good coach will help with , hence why not all good boxers make good trainers , they tend to teach lads what they done , where a good coach encourages a lad to develop his own style , but they still need the basic structure , i.m sure you would agree .
Your Naz anology was actually a good one , because has unorthodox , and ackward has Naz was , facts are , he was well balanced , had a good repotoire of punches , and hit hard because he had correct techniquie these are things he was taught early and then developed with encouragment his own style , i never went to that gym but its well documented that they had foot drills the kids were made to practice to perfection , personaly i think that was an indication of how good a trainer Brendon really was , he shown them all good basics , then to a large extent helped and encouraged them to have there own stylke , hence why Brendon Ingle was so succesful , He was a TEACHER , most nowadays are not teachers they are i suppose trainers , with the enthesis on trainers , fitness trainers , .

Also agree , on the Fabio ---DD Daniel should win and for me i think he will win easier this time round , however if Fabio can control himself put sustained non stop pressure on , without trying to hard for a ko , hence stiff arms and shoulders , easy to read , if he can punch through relaxed shoulders and arms , hitting solid with every shot hard and fast , then maybee , but i doubt he can , i doubt that they will have practiced that for the last few months , but i hope i'm wrong . has much has i think DD will do it again i hope Wardley succeeds , he just seems a nice guy who i would like to see reap the rewards , plus it will put a big spanner back in the division

[Grilling Machine]

I could be underrating Brendan as a trainer, Con. I do think he fostered a sense of family you rarely see in the pros. I've seen that a lot in amateur clubs but not much in the pros. Some of the Big Bear guys seem to get on well with Abe.

If Wardley's cautious tonight he might extend himself to lose on points. Relaxed, like you say. I also doubt he has the right character for that kind of more passive approach. Hope the gods are smiling on him though, cos I'd love to see him win. If it goes south for him early the towel needs to come in.

Right, time for the mute button...

[Evander]

Looked over as early as the first knock down.
Who is this Daniel Dubois compared to years ago ?

[gilgamesh]

Looked over as early as the first knock down.
Who is this Daniel Dubois compared to years ago ?

I don't think he's really improved much from the 2nd Usyk fight, but his confidence has probably been boosted, and he's definitely been fighting guys whose style are better suited to his, and the good thing is that's pretty much all that he has in front of him for the foreseeable future at the moment.

At least until David Benavidez and Jai Opetaia crash the party. Which may be sooner than you think. Especially in the case of Opetaia. If he fights Wilder the Heavyweight options that will be dangled in front of him afterward (assuming he wins) will definitely make him leave the Cruiserweight division behind I think.

[coneye]

Don't think Jais big enough to do well against Daniel

[semtexreilly]

Had a bet on the fight last night ,Dubois to win,Dubois most jabs landed ,most body shots landed etc ,lost the bet on body shots ,ive no watched the fight again ,but from what a remember, Wardley landed one jab to the body and Dubois at least had 2 body shots , fcuk bet365

[Eolaithe]

I correctly predicted the outcomes of eleven of the twelve bouts on last night's Dubois-Wardley card, with the only incorrect result being a draw.

I suspect the results were so predictable because of Queensberry's poor matchmaking.

[Ruthless-RKO]

I correctly predicted the outcomes of eleven of the twelve bouts on last night's Dubois-Wardley card, with the only incorrect result being a draw.

I suspect the results were so predictable because of Queensberry's poor matchmaking.

I take it the one you got wrong was the draw?

Who did you pick to win?

Not a single competitive fight.