Darshan Desai Uncrowned Updated Sun, October 18, 2026 at 3:36 PM UTC About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Daniel Dubois made easy work of Fabio Wardley in their highly anticipated rematch.
The first fight between Dubois and Wardley in May is the frontrunner for 2026's Fight of the Year . Saturday's rematch at The O2 Arena in London, though, was far more one-sided.
Dubois stopped Wardley in Round 2 to make the first defense of his WBO heavyweight title.
In their first meeting, Wardley (20-2-1, 19 KOs) knocked down Dubois (24-3, 23 KOs) just 16 seconds into the contest. This time it was Dubois' turn to strike early; he needed 17 seconds to put Wardley on the canvas with an overhand right.
The overhand from Dubois smashed into Wardley's face, causing Wardley's knee to touch the floor. It was the first time Wardley had been knocked down in his career. He stood up straight away and took more shots from Dubois until the referee was able to get between the pair and administer the 10-count.
Wardley's legs looked unsteady as Dubois went for the finish with big bombs and Wardley tried to punch with him. Dubois landed combination after combination on Wardley, who wasn't throwing much back when Dubois let his hands go, and was clearly still recovering.
Dubois rocked Wardley again with an overhand right in the final 20 seconds of the opener. A barrage of shots went in from the champion. Ben Davison, Wardley's trainer, had the towel in his hand and appeared to consider throwing it in. The referee, Steve Gray, also took a close look, but Wardley ultimately survived Round 1.
Early in the final minute of Round 2, Dubois landed a right on Wardley's chin, but was kept away from following up because Wardley was able to smother him. When the pair broke from the clinch, though, Dubois backed him up with a couple of jabs and placed a pair of rights on the side of Wardley's head.
Dubois continued landing clean rights from all angles up close. With Wardley defenseless, Davison was left with no choice but to throw in the towel.
It was a clinical performance from Dubois. Many thought the rematch had come too soon for Wardley. Uncrowned predicted in its pre-fight breakdown that Wardley's punch resistance would suffer from the fast turnaround, and that it did.
"[I want to fight] whoever is next in line really," Dubois said after the fight. "I'm the champion now, and I want to get some big fights in. This stage of my career — big money, big fights. You're the man, [Queensberry promoter] Frank [Warren]."
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Other than Dubois, Warren also promotes two more world heavyweight champions, Agit Kabayel and Filip Hrgovic, meaning the chances of the Brit landing a unification fight in 2027 are high. Hrgovic and Dubois faced off in the ring after Dubois' win.
Check out complete Dubois vs. Wardley 2 results and highlights below, as well as Uncrowned's play-by-play of the main card.
WBO heavyweight title: Daniel Dubois def. Fabio Wardley via second-round TKO
Lightweight: Louie O'Doherty vs. Michael Gomez Jr. declared majority draw (114-115, 114-114, 114-114)
Heavyweight: Adam Olaniyan def. Dan Garber via second-round TKO
Heavyweight: Bakhodir Jalolov def. Solomon Dacres via unanimous decision (99-91, 99-90 ×2)
Super featherweight: Nelson Birchall def. Levi Giles via seventh-round TKO
Super flyweight: Tony Curtis def. Kerim Agius via fourth-round KO | Watch video
Super featherweight: Zayn Ahmed def. Kasey Bradnum via first-round TKO | Watch video
Featherweight: Leighton Birchall def. Luis Vara Carrillo via points (60-54)
Featherweight: Manny Safari def. Jake Pollard via fifth-round TKO | Watch video
Lightweight: Fawas Aborode def. Rashid Omar via fourth-round TKO | Watch video
Super featherweight: Aaron Noriega def. Leonardo Baez via fourth-round TKO | Watch video
Middleweight: Issiah Hamilton-Allen def. Jensen Irving via points (40-36)
Wardley is going for broke now. He is leading with the right uppercut, looking for a Hail Mary punch. Dubois is patient, though. He's not rushing anything. He knows how dangerous Wardley is. Wardley just falls short with a right. Wardley looks uncomfortable every time Dubois throws punches. BIG right hand thrown by Dubois. I can't see this one going on much longer. Final minute coming up. ANOTHER big right lands for Dubois. And again, Dubois lands a power shot. He's putting his punches together. Wardley is covering up. He looks hurt. He looks out of place. Dubois is letting his hands go. In comes the towel, and this one is over!
Here we go! It was the Fight of the Year back in May. Will it be every bit as good in the rematch? Last time, Wardley got off to a brilliant start, knocking down Dubois within seconds. How will this one play out early?
It's Dubois on the front foot. HUGE right hand. DOWN GOES WARDLEY inside 20 seconds. It's the total opposite. Dubois is putting his punches together. Wardley is so badly hurt. Nice jabs from Dubois. He is still looking for the finish. Dubois is hurting Wardley with numerous rights. This one might not make it out of Round 1. Wardley is off balance as he attempts an overhand right. Wardley eats a combination. He eats two more rights. Dubois is putting the power shots together. Still 40 seconds to go. HUGE right. Wardley is badly rocked. He's putting his shots together. A big barrage. Wardley isn't responding. Dubois almost got the stoppage there. Wardley just about survived that round.
Interestingly, Wardley was cheered into the ring, and Dubois' name was booed when he was announced.
We are just a couple of minutes away from the Daniel Dubois vs. Fabio Wardley main event ring walks. Sweet Caroline is just about to play.
Daniel Dubois (left) and Fabio Wardley during the weigh-in at the Old Spitalfields Market, London. Picture date: Friday October 16, 2026. (Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images) (Nick Potts - PA Images via Getty Images) Tyson Fury reacts: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement OFFICIAL RESULT: We have a draw 115-114 Gomez
Somehow Michael Gomez Jr. hasn't won that fight. I can't believe it, neither can he or the fans.
A near-dominant performance from Michael Gomez Jr. through eight or nine rounds. Louie O'Doherty may have taken a couple of frames late, but it should be a wide decision win for the challenger.
It's O'Doherty on the front foot. He's got Gomez on the ropes and is putting his shots together but nothing is getting through. They exchange short shots on the inside, but then O'Doherty eats a combination. Back to going to work up close. Nice body work from Gomez and a two-piece knocks back the chin. Now, Gomez puts his shots together. Final minute coming up. Gomez and O'Doherty continue to trade, but the impactful shots are those from Gomez.
Somehow, O'Doherty is still in there and still throwing punches. And he lands a nice right in the final minute. Now, a left hook. He gets a couple of jabs off and then looks for the body. But back comes Gomez downstairs. Closer round. They went toe-to-toe for the first couple of minutes with no too much to separate them.
A brilliant combination from Gomez in the opening minute of Round 8. He continues to lift up the chin of O'Doherty with brilliant uppercuts. O'Doherty is still in there, still throwing back and still tough, but he is taking a beating. Lovely right hand in the final 30 seconds. Uppercut. Body shot. Uppercut.
Gomez barrages the body just before the one-minute mark. The pressure has been nonstop from Gomez. And now that O'Doherty needs a KO to win this fight and looks nowhere near getting it, perhaps O'Doherty's corner should take a look and think about stopping it. O'Doherty has taken a lot of damage and is continuing to take punishment every round.
Another good round for Gomez. His combination punching, pressure, and inside work have been terrific tonight. O'Doherty has taken quite a bit of punishment to the head already, so Gomez may have to reach for the body to find the stoppage, although O'Doherty is doing well at covering his body too. It does feel at the end of some of these rounds, though, that the pressure is getting to O'Doherty.
Gomez had O'Doherty in trouble at the end of Round 4. Could this be the round Gomez gets the finish? O'Doherty walks Gomez onto a couple of rights, but he shrugs them off and keeps coming forward. A couple of uppercuts from Gomez. Nice uppercut counter from Gomez. O'Doherty is trying to fight him on the inside now, but that can't be a good strategy. Gomez continues to connect with the right uppercut. Lovely work from Gomez with the right.
It's been a terrific performance from Michael Gomez Jr. so far. He looks much bigger and stronger and the pressure has been very effective through four rounds. O'Doherty has been hurt on at least a couple of occasions in this fight — both to the head and the body.
Decent uppercut for O'Doherty. Gomez lands the left to the body. They exchange shots on the inside – that will suit Gomez just fine. He certainly looks to be connecting with the harder punches. Nice body shots from Gomez and the uppercut afterward, which lifts up the chin. Lovely right from Gomez. The pressure is really suffocating O'Doherty now as the punches rain in.
O'Doherty's head is knocked back by a jab. Nice right from Gomez – and again – and a third. Gomez is just walking through O'Doherty thus far. Nice one-two from Gomez and he looks for the uppercut afterward. Gomez's pressure has been very effective. Now, to the body goes Gomez. O'Doherty is doing a slightly better job of slowing Gomez's pressure. But Gomez looks to be in control as rights thud onto O'Doherty's chin.
Source: Sports
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