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Daniel Dubois overcame two knockdowns to defeat Fabio Wardley and win the WBO heavyweight title in a dramatic fight.
Daniel Dubois won a chaotic instant classic with Fabio Wardley on Saturday night, climbing off the canvas twice to win the WBO heavyweight title.
Wardley dropped his fellow Briton with perhaps the second punch he threw, before putting Dubois down again in the third frame. At that juncture, a victory for the 28-year-old seemed beyond improbable.
But Dubois, a former IBF champion, finally silenced the longstanding questions about his heart to turn the tide. He gradually dismantled Wardley, 31, whose nose was a bloody mess and whose right eye was close to shutting.
Daniel Dubois (right) somehow found a way past Fabio Wardley after major adversity early on (Reuters)
After the referee seemed to consider stopping the bout a few times, he ultimately awarded Dubois an 11th-round win in Manchester. With that, Wardley was beaten for the first time.
âI know Iâve got heart, bundles of heart,â said Dubois in the ring after the fight. âIâm a warrior in there. [The first knockdown was a] flash knockdown, you have to get back up and come back harder, man. Iâm a warrior. I thank Fabio for a great fight, man. I thank this team, and we move on now. All glory to God for this victory.â
Wardley thanked the crowd on his way out of the arena, before Frank Warren â who promotes both men â revealed there was a rematch clause in the contract for Saturdayâs main event.
The result marked Wardleyâs first loss (20-1-1, 19 KOs), as he was beaten in his first defence of a world title. Last time out, in October, he fought from behind to knock out Joseph Parker and win the interim WBO heavyweight belt â which was soon upgraded when Oleksandr Usyk vacated the official title.
Daniel Dubois won by overcoming two knockdowns and gradually dismantling Fabio Wardley during the fight.
Fabio Wardley dropped Daniel Dubois twice in the early rounds, making Dubois's victory seem unlikely.
Fabio Wardley suffered significant damage, with a bloody nose and a nearly shut right eye by the end of the match.
This victory silenced longstanding questions about Dubois's heart and solidified his status as a top heavyweight contender.
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Meanwhile, Dubois (23-3, 22 KOs) entered the Co-op Live arena on the back of his second stoppage loss to Usyk, which was his third defeat overall. Duboisâs only other loss was a prior stoppage by Joe Joyce, in which âDynamiteâ took a knee after suffering an orbital fracture â a moment that birthed a longstanding doubt about Duboisâs heart.
Those questions were harsh, however, as Dubois proved on Saturday, by rising twice and withstanding Wardleyâs best offence to secure the unlikeliest of victories.
A fired-up Dubois after beating Wardley in Manchester (Reuters)
Wardley dropped the Londoner with practically the second punch he threw, an overhand right, before flooring Dubois with a one-two in the third frame.
But thereafter, Dubois gradually broke down the Ipswich boxer, aggravating a pre-existing nasal injury to leave Wardleyâs face streaming with blood. Furthermore, Dubois â whose left eye looked close to closing â almost punched Wardleyâs right eye shut.
The referee had Wardley inspected by a ringside doctor at the start of round nine (for his nose) and round 10 (for his eye), but both times the champion was allowed to continue. The inspections drew boos, but both times the resumed action brought deafening cheers.
Perhaps that was unwise, as Wardley had begun to sustain increasingly-severe punishment, with Dubois close to sealing a finish at the end of several rounds.
Ultimately, the stoppage came after Duboisâs first meaningful attack in the penultimate frame, as he became a two-time world champion.