Wardley vows revenge in Dubois rematch after bloody first fight

Fabio Wardley is set to challenge Daniel Dubois for the WBO heavyweight title in a high-stakes rematch at London’s O2 Arena, determined to rewrite the narrative after his first professional defeat ^[1]. The May clash ended in a brutal 11th-round TKO, with Dubois overcoming two early knockdowns to dominate and claim his second world title ^[2]. Wardley, who has since activated his rematch clause, says he’s made critical adjustments to his approach, acknowledging he was ‘over-zealous’ in the first fight ^[4].

Dubois, now a strong favourite at -370 odds, is aiming to extend his reign, having recovered from past stoppage losses to Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk ^[3]. His opponent, however, is no stranger to comebacks—Wardley previously avenged a split draw with Frazer Clarke by breaking his jaw in a first-round stoppage ^[2].

Statistically, Dubois outlanded Wardley in the first fight—179 to 97 total punches—with a 45.8% landing rate compared to Wardley’s 27.1% ^[3]. Yet Wardley’s 95% knockout rate remains a hallmark of his power, though he landed only 6.1 power punches per round in his last six fights, below the division average. Dubois, meanwhile, landed 5.5 jabs per round and was more effective with body shots in the first bout.

Despite the odds, Wardley remains defiant. He cited Ipswich Town’s recent resurgence—winning three of their first six games and defeating Fulham—before his return to the ring as a source of inspiration ^[1]. He described the atmosphere at the club as a ‘perfect bit of buzz’ and believes their grit mirrors his own determination.

Dubois, who has been calm and focused in the build-up, said he’s ‘ready to go to war’ and feels stronger than in the first fight ^[4]. The only tension came from managers: Riz Khan claimed Wardley was not fully healed from injuries, a claim that has not been confirmed. Michael Ofo accused Dubois of leading with the head and rabbit punching in May and promised to ‘apply a lot of pressure to make sure those things don’t happen again’.

With both fighters having fought for titles in recent years—Dubois in eight title bouts, Wardley in three—the rematch marks a rare moment in British boxing history: the first time two British heavyweights have met in a world title rematch ^[2]. The story was first reported by Mirror and Metro.