Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley will run it back at The O2 in London on 17 October, with the WBO heavyweight title on the line once again after one of the most brutal domestic fights British boxing has produced in years. Dubois stopped Wardley in the 11th round of their first meeting at Manchester’s Co-op Live in May, but not before Wardley had dropped the champion twice in the opening rounds, and the rematch clause in Wardley’s contract was activated within days of the final bell.
A Fight of the Year Contender Turned Sour
The first fight lived up to the pre-fight hype and then some. Wardley, fighting as the underdog and defending Ipswich pride as much as anything else, floored Dubois twice inside the opening rounds and had the champion in serious trouble. Frank Warren, who has promoted plenty of heavyweight wars in his time, called it “one of the greatest heavyweight fights we’ve seen in years.” But Dubois, showing the durability that has become his calling card, dug in and turned the fight around, eventually stopping Wardley in the 11th to retain his belt and confirm himself as a two-time world heavyweight champion.
It was the kind of finish that demanded a second instalment, and Queensberry wasted little time confirming one. By mid-May, both camps had agreed terms for a rematch “later in 2026,” and that date is now locked in: 17 October, back at The O2, live on Sky Sports.
Wardley’s Self-Diagnosis
At the opening press conference for the rematch, held in London on 2 September, Wardley was refreshingly candid about where the first fight got away from him. Having Dubois hurt early, he admitted he let the moment get the better of him. “I felt a bit too comfortable,” he said. “I just got trigger happy” and failed to press home the advantage when it mattered most. He described becoming “a victim of my own success in the early stages,” a rare piece of self-scouting from a fighter who could easily have leaned on the knockdowns as evidence he belongs at this level.
Wardley was equally direct about what comes next. “I have absolutely zero excuses for the loss on the night and I have absolutely zero excuses going into the rematch,” he said, brushing off suggestions that a quick turnaround fight against the same opponent carries extra risk. He pointed out he has “gone through wars like that in the past and then had rematches shortly after,” framing the short gap between fights as familiar territory rather than a concern.
Dubois Eyes a Faster Finish
Dubois, for his part, sounded like a champion with no interest in a repeat of the drama. Speaking at the same press conference, he said he intends to “come in just as champion and just demonstrate my skill and my pedigree and what I have,” a pointed suggestion that he expects to avoid the early scares that nearly cost him the belt first time around. After the original fight he was unequivocal about the level of performance he produced under pressure, calling it “another dominant victory and amazing performance” once he had turned the tide, and there is little sign he sees October as anything other than a continuation of that story rather than a genuine threat to his reign.
Stakes for British Heavyweight Boxing
Beyond the personal narrative, the rematch matters for where it sits in a heavyweight division that has been unusually fluid since Oleksandr Usyk’s retirement fractured the belts between Agit Kabayel, Murat Gassiev and Dubois himself. A statement win for either man in October strengthens their case in the unification conversation that will eventually have to include Moses Itauma, Filip Hrgovic and the rest of the contenders jostling for position. For Dubois, defending successfully and more comfortably would go some way to answering questions about how close he came to losing the belt in May. For Wardley, avenging his first professional defeat would put him right back in the mix for a second world title shot.
Tickets for Dubois vs Wardley 2 are already on sale through Queensberry, with the O2 expected to be at capacity for a second time in five months. Sky Sports will broadcast live from London on 17 October.