Dubois defends WBO title against Wardley in London rematch

Summarised from 2 outlets · 4 reports · Updated 12 Oct, 18:19 · Archive

Daniel Dubois defends his WBO heavyweight title against Fabio Wardley on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, five months after stopping him in their first meeting.

Daniel Dubois will defend his WO world heavyweight title against Fabio Wardley on Saturday 17 October at the O2 Arena in London. The two British heavyweights meet in an immediate rematch of their first encounter in May, when Dubois stopped Wardley on his feet in the 11th round despite being knocked down twice in the opening rounds.

Wardley held the WBO belt for just 173 days before losing it to Dubois. The 31-year-old has since triggered his rematch clause and will attempt to reclaim the title. He says he prefers fighting as the challenger rather than as champion. 'I really love being the challenger. It feels more natural and it feels more weightless,' Wardley said. 'Don't get me wrong, it's fantastic being world champion. But having the belt and an undefeated record and going in with such a good fighter like Daniel holds a level of weight – and now I just feel free.'

Dubois, 29, has set himself a target of becoming undisputed heavyweight champion within six fights. He previously fought for undisputed status against Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley Stadium in July 2025 but lost that bout via fifth-round knockout. The main event will begin at around 10.30pm BST on Saturday, with the fight streaming exclusively on DAZN pay-per-view.

How it is being reported

• Fabio Wardley relishing return to underdog status for Daniel Dubois rematchThe British heavyweight rivals collide at The O2 Arena on Saturday.Independent Sport · 12 Oct, 18:00
• Fabio Wardley explains mindset ahead of Daniel Dubois rematchWardley held his belt for just 173 days before being relieved of it by Dubois in their May slugfest and will try to win it back in London on SaturdayMirror Sport · 12 Oct, 18:00
• Dubois vs Wardley 2: Start time, undercard and how to watch fight this weekendDubois aims to do the double over fellow Briton Wardley, whom he stopped in a chaotic heavyweight-title fight in MayIndependent Sport · 12 Oct, 12:03
• Daniel Dubois sets timeline to become undisputed champion ahead of Fabio Wardley rematchDubois defends his WBO world heavyweight title against Fabio Wardley next Saturday but already has his eyes on all the prizesIndependent Sport · 12 Oct, 09:44

In this story: Daniel Dubois · Fabio Wardley · Oleksandr Usyk · Agit Kabayel · O2 Arena · London · Wembley Stadium

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