BoxRec

Grilling Machine wrote: ↑15 May 2026, 17:25 I felt Wardley blew himself out too much in the early rounds looking for the knockout. Advising him to try the same again sounds like madness to me - I'd give him a much better shot with the Calzaghe approach of staying busy behind varying power. He certainly needs to go downstairs and show Dub a few more angles.

If you do anything but blitz ddd his jab starts landing, his confidence builds and he is just way way way better at boxing… but if you just make it a tear up, and really overcommit ddd can get overwhelmed and hurt.

I thought first fight wardly didn’t gamble enough those couple of times he hurt ddd, especialy the first one… when ddds equilibrium is slightly off if wardly just swarmed him….

The important thing to this strategy is your corner knowing if you don’t get it done within 6 to be very very ready with the towel because when your gas tank goes you want the towel being thrown.

If wardly “paces” himself surely he just gets his face busted by the jab again and again…

No real reason to think it'd go any different. Hard to imagine Wardley's confidence in his ability won't take a hit after a beating like that

I think DDD does it a lot easier.

He took Wardley’s best, so will be more confident and march him down.

The rematch will be the same result but no way the ref lets it go nearly as long.
DDD wins TKO in 5

Wardley isn't the brightest spark doing this. He suffered the worst pounding anyone has had in the UK in living memory. Even the most bloodthirsty of fans were looking away at the end, so imagine the damage to his brain.

Maybe the board should say no.

Don't really see the point of this

• if he wins he would have to do the trilogy aka the chance of another 36 minutes in the meatgrinder

• he can only really win by throwing that massive overhand and scoring early stoppage

• he cannot outbox DD and cannot learn enough in the interval to become capable of out boxing him

• throwing towel early will be correct from a medical and moral point of view but will also essentially be calling time on his career at the same time

Terrible idea, even Warren blanched at the word rematch in the interview after that beating - he won’t retire, so he should build up again and learn a bit more nuance to his game - and fire Ben f*cking Davidson

Dubois is likely to win again

But as much as he got a hiding Fabio can do it if he comes in with a bit more conditioning, fights a more educated fight, little bit more shot selection, he definitely has the power to KO Dubois

He won't learn enough between now and the next fight to match Dubois for skill, but he can still be more clever in how he applies what he does in the ring

I think even Dubois despite running away with the fight will be half wary of a more patient and measured Fab

I still give it to Dubois, you cant not really can you. I did book Fab to KO him first time out though, and I still dont see that as out of the realms of possibility to tell the truth.

Surely tho Wardley needs at least the rest of this year off for that busted nose alone? Cant train and spar round that and get back in there towards the end of this year

Oiky wrote: ↑16 May 2026, 04:25 Surely tho Wardley needs at least the rest of this year off for that busted nose alone? Cant train and spar round that and get back in there towards the end of this year

i'd be interested in hearing what doctors/specialists have to say on this. I don't want him ending up like Daniella Westbrooke

Hard to think of another fight where one guy wins all the other rounds but gets knocked down twice.

Two closest I can think of

W Klitchko vs Peter
Parker vs Zhang

JC wrote: ↑16 May 2026, 10:23 Hard to think of another fight where one guy wins all the other rounds but gets knocked down twice.

Two closest I can think of

W Klitchko vs Peter
Parker vs Zhang

Crocker v Donovan 2.

Fabio Wardley activates Daniel Dubois rematch clause after loss

Fabio Wardley has activated the rematch clause which will see him face Daniel Dubois a second time.

Dubois (23-3, 22 KOs) beat Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KOs) by stoppage in Round 11 in Manchester on May 9 to win the WBO heavyweight title.

Shortly after, promoter allegedly said there was a rematch clause in the contracts and Queensberry confirmed on Friday that the now former champion Wardley will look to win his belt back.

"Queensberry can confirm that Fabio Wardley has activated the rematch clause following his defeat in last week's WBO world title fight against Daniel Dubois at the Co-op Live in Manchester," a statement said.

"All parties will now work towards a rematch of their fight of the year contender for later in 2026."

The prospect of a rematch, particularly this year, has divided opinions in the sport, given the brutal nature of the first encounter.

Dubois was dropped twice, in Round 1 and Round 3, before he rallied to dominate Wardley in the later rounds.

"The boxing world knows my character, and Saturday night proved that without a shred of doubt," Wardley told Sky Sports.

"It was a fight for the ages, but I made some mistakes that I will rectify in the rematch. Congratulations to Daniel, but I'm coming for you and my belt."

After the fight, Dubois labelled both himself and Wardley as "warriors." Warren said it was the best heavyweight fight he had ever promoted.

"I think that was, for me, being involved in this business ... This is my 48th year, it was humbling to watch these two guys," Warren said.

"It was just amazing, an amazing spectacle, the crowd, atmosphere, everything about it was just great."

Can he win a rematch well with his chin and his POWER course he could.

Will he win a rematch . Highly doubt it ,in fact i,d bet he gets stopped earlier.

Unless . He learns to move a bit better , learns to move to his right , and throw . learns to parry and or slip a jab , learns to throw a straight right , learns to throw a straight left , learns to throw a left hook . Learns not to continually bowl a right hand from too far away .

Really just learns to use basic not advanced boxing .which to be honest you would think a world champ would have basics down to.pat But most of all when you have a fighter world champ or not . You woild really expect his trainer to have picked up on the lack of basics and fixed it

So could he win well if he went to a trainer who made him do basics over and over and over again until it become second nature and muscle memory to slip block or parry a punch . To move away from right hands . To throw left hooks when the other guys right hand is low just basic well then with his heart , his chin and his power he could well beat Dd at his own game . But will.t happen , doubt it he will be sent out to swing like a barn door and hope for the best .

Alss he needs are Basics , basics , and more Basics

Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley update given by Frank~Warren as he eyes stadium rematch

Frank~Warren expects Daniel Dubois' sequel with Fabio Wardley to take place in autumn with a stadium being eyed.

Dubois and Wardley met in what is viewed as a 'Fight of the Year' in the heavyweight division.

'Dynamite' got the job done despite touching the canvas twice in a brutal clash.

It was revealed just days afterwards that Wardley opted to activate his rematch clause, in an attempt to win his WBO title back.

The pair will need a few months to recover physically from the gruelling encounter.

And Queensberry Promotions promoter Warren has revealed to talkSPORT that the fight is now in the works.

He explained: "They have the rights and have notified us that they want the rematch.

"If and when it happens, it will happen some time in the autumn.

"He must fancy his chances and it will be a big, big fight and no doubt an exciting fight."

On if the showdown could land in a stadium, Warren continued: "They want to dance again, we will make it happen.

"The feedback we have had from everyone has been incredible, I think it will wind up in a stadium.

"The heavyweight division is the most exciting it has been in ages, it is fantastic.

"But that is a big fight and we believe it is big enough to land in a stadium."

Dubois vs Wardley - where could it land?

The event was a blockbuster sell-out with a record-breaking 18,000 fans flocking to the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester.

And after the huge interest in their first clash, it will likely command a much higher audience.

Many stadiums will likely be explored including the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

On which stadium it could land, he added: "We've done shows at Ipswich, Leeds, London and all over the country.

"We take the fights to the people, that is the name of the game of promotion.

"There's lots of options, I want to do a fight at the Emirates but I'm just trying to get them to knock down the price a bit."

A huge second showdown is one that the pair will be gunning for.

It poses a risk for Dubois, but he will hope to try and win in even more dominant fashion a second time out.

Looks like we getting a bloody (literally) rematch

don't know whether to pull my hair out or to clap

Can't see anything different happening bar Dubois smashing his nose up earlier and getting the stoppage

Speaking with Boxing News, Matchroom promoter, Eddie Hearn, explained why he believes Wardley ‘has done the right thing’.

“I think that he has done the right thing. It is easy to criticise and I have been there before, ‘AJ’ is a classic example, specifically after the [Andy] Ruiz fight, it was very one-sided after he [Joshua] got dropped and everyone said ‘don’t take the rematch first, do this, do that’.

“You have, on your plate and in your hand, a shot to win the world heavyweight championship. After that fight, and specifically after the damage [he suffered], Fabio is an underdog in that fight, but he can win. He can win that fight and, if you have a chance of winning that fight, for me, I think that you have to take it.

“So, good luck to him and I wouldn’t rule him out either. Like I said, I think that Daniel, this time, is a big favourite in the fight, but I wouldn’t rule Fabio Wardley out in this fight.”

“He needs to make adjustments, Usyk said it today, where was the jab? But you’re talking about a guy with little experience over a period of time, so what he is doing is incredible, but he is always live and he is always dangerous.”

It is believed that Dubois-Wardley 2 will take place before the end of the year, with the clash potentially landing in a stadium.

And left out the bit where AJ didn’t want the Dubois rematch?

Warren expects stadium show for Dubois-Wardley II in autumn

The dust has barely settled on the ferocious WBO heavyweight title fight between Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois but the British rivals will soon begin preparing to renew hostilities.

Last week, it was announced that Wardley had activated a rematch clause and will attempt to regain his belt later this year.

On May 9, Dubois picked himself up from two early knockdowns and tightened his grip on a savage war as the rounds passed.

Try as he might, Wardley couldn’t summon up the type of late, dramatic turnaround that has become his trademark. Although he never stopped looking for his big right hand, Dubois got wise to the tactic and Wardley absorbed a tremendous amount of punishment before being stopped in the 11th round.

Afterwards, most assumed that Wardley would have a long rest and wondered whether Dubois would be called to defend his newly won belt against the WBO’s number one ranked heavyweight, Moses Itauma.

Not many thought that the 31-year-old from Ipswich would quickly pull the trigger on a violent rematch. Warren wasn’t surprised though, having learned the former champion isn't the type to be deterred by a setback.
“I think it's the type of guy he is. He's a fighting man,” Warren told talkSPORT.

“They have the right to and have notified us that they want the rematch. So, we'll see what happens and if it does happen sometime in the autumn, he must fancy his chances or wouldn't do that.

“It'll be a big, exciting fight. It was brutal, a tough and exciting fight to watch except for the last couple of rounds when I felt that he [Daniel] was pulling away in the fight.

“I thought Daniel done extremely well and with Fabio, he showed what he's all about which is his courage and guts. He never went on the floor and [he showed] how tough he is, but they want to dance again so we'll make it happen.”

The first fight grabbed public attention from the moment it was rumoured but it surpassed every expectation.

There wasn’t a seat to be found inside Manchester’s huge Co-op Live Arena and the fight was such a spectacle that tickets would be even harder to come by for a rematch.

Warren believes that it deserves to be seen by an even bigger live audience.

“The feedback we've had from everybody is how much they enjoyed the fight,” he said.

“A lot of people said it's one of the best fights they've seen and I subscribe to that. I genuinely do believe it'll wind up in a stadium. I think it will happen.”

Oh dear tought we would see this ...

Must be doing a lot of
Moneyninvolved

Spud MK2 wrote: ↑23 May 2026, 09:04 Oh dear tought we would see this ...

Must be doing a lot of
Moneyninvolved

He just activated rematch clause

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑23 May 2026, 09:13

Spud MK2 wrote: ↑23 May 2026, 09:04 Oh dear tought we would see this ...

Must be doing a lot of
Moneyninvolved

He just activated rematch clause

Doesnt mean its right

After the beating Wardley took, it's hard to imagine anything except another stoppage by Dubois.

MasterG wrote: ↑15 May 2026, 09:19 Not sure of the outcome but will be a different style from Wardley. I see him keeping away, but still look for that big shot.

I don't think he will be too gung ho this time. Maybe stick and move.

Probably, but Dubois is the better boxer so it won't work. Wardley should just go all out for the ko from round 1, it's his only chance.