UNLICENSED TO UNDISPUTED? FABIO WARDLEY’S INCREDIBLE JOURNEY TO FACING POWERHOUSE DANIEL DUBOIS
Fabio Wardley faces Daniel Dubois on May 9! Get all the fight details, records, and ticket news for the WBO heavyweight title clash.
Fabio Wardley is set to defend his WBO heavyweight title for the first time against Daniel Dubois on Saturday, May 9. They’ll headline a DAZN card at Co-op Live in Manchester, and honestly, this one feels like fireworks from the jump.
Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) comes in hot, fresh off an 11th-round TKO over Joseph Parker last October in London; that win grabbed him the interim WBO belt. Not long after, he got bumped up to full champ status since Oleksandr Usyk decided not to bother with a mandatory defence.
Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs) took a similar route. He stopped Filip Hrgovic in eight to claim the interim IBF title earlier this year, then got promoted to full champion and defended against Anthony Joshua less than four months later. That night, Dubois knocked Joshua out – huge moment, massive statement. After that, he faced Usyk again in a high-profile rematch, but Usyk took over and finished things in the fifth round, briefly unifying the belts for a second time.
This fight? It’s shaping up to be a slugfest. Neither Wardley nor Dubois is winning awards for defence; they’re both heavy hitters, and someone’s getting hurt. For Wardley, 31, this is the biggest puncher he’s ever faced. For Dubois, 28, it’s a risky move after his recent loss, but the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Promoter Frank Warren put it plainly: “This is quite simply the most exciting and explosive fight available for Fabio’s first defence of his WBO world title, and it tells you everything about him that this is the fight he demanded.”
No word yet on the undercard.
Wardley doesn’t mince words about his approach. “I’ve never been in this game to play around; I’m committed to big fights only. I’m the champion, this is a voluntary defence, and I chose this. I’m not about to win a world title and then take easy fights or hide away with it; I’m not running off with my belt. One thing you can’t ever say about me is that I’ve shied away from a challenge. I’ve always gone looking for the biggest tests, and I’d back myself against anyone in this division.”
Dubois fired right back: “The world title reign is over for Fabio, and I will become champion again.”
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
