After their epic war earlier this year, Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley run it back in a blockbuster rematch for the WBO heavyweight title at The O2 Arena in London on Saturday night, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.
Daniel Dubois (1.23) vs Fabio Wardley (3.70) (WBO Heavyweight Championship)
11:30 PM Saturday, 17 October, SA time
As two aggressive, devastating power punchers, the pair’s first meeting in May was expected to produce fireworks. It did that and then some, exceeding all expectations.
The British bombers’ battle at Co-op Live in Manchester was one of the greatest heavyweight fights in history, with the behemoths going hammer and tongs for 11 incredible rounds. Entering as the titleholder, Wardley dropped Dubois twice.
However, Dubois showed heart and rallied, ultimately forcing referee Howard Foster to stop the fight in the penultimate round to become a two-time heavyweight champion.
Dubois, who previously held the IBF crown, left Wardley’s face looking like hamburger meat, and handed him the first loss of his career. Wardley, though, refused to quit and was still standing when the referee saved him from himself.
The older man by two years, he was quick to trigger the rematch clause, and with the roles now reversed, it’ll be interesting to see how the 31-year-old goes about his revenge mission.
Dubois is a dynamic destroyer. Known as “Dynamite”, his record is 23-3 with 21 knockouts, including slaying South Africa’s Kevin Lerena in 2022. Wardley enters the rematch with a record of 20-1-1 with 19 knockouts.
The former is a super athlete – a muscle-bound brute with serious one-punch stopping power, while the latter is a blue-collar battler who melts just about everyone with his high-volume striking.
Dubois might be the more intimidating physical specimen, but both men are six-foot-five and have an identical 78-inch reach. Given this, the fact that both have remarkable knockout rates in the 90s and iron chins, they are perfect foils for one another.
Both men answered key questions in the first clash. Coming off his second loss to Oleksandr Usyk in their showdown for the undisputed title last July, Dubois silenced those who’d questioned his fighting spirit, while Wardley showed he could stand up to one of the most destructive heavyweights on the planet.
For me, Dubois’ elite-level experience was the difference in the first fight. Having destroyed Anthony Joshua – who’ll finally face Tyson Fury in a superfight in December – and been in there with the best of this generation in Usyk twice, he was able to problem-solve under heavy fire and turn the tables.
Wardley will have to come up with a few new tricks if he wants to regain the gold, but the same calmness in the chaos and tactical prowess he showed to figure out Wardley’s timing in May should see Dubois remain champion in another thriller.
Quintin van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 20 years of experience.
