Daniel Dubois TKO11 Fabio Wardley... In one of the most brutal heavyweight fights in recent memory, Daniel Dubois survived a pair of knockdowns and came back to stop Fabio Wardley by eleventh-round technical knockout in Manchester, England. With the win, Dubois takes Wardley's WBO title and becomes a two-time champion. Although he scored the only two knockdowns of the encounter, it was Wardley who absorbed a terrifying amount of punishment. Dubois initially went down in the first ten seconds of round one, and revisited the canvas again in round three. But Dubois glanced over to his corner a couple of times for reassurance and eventually worked his way into the lead on the scorecards. The last several rounds saw Wardley fighting with an obviously broken nose that was bleeding from both inside and out, as well as a nearly closed right eye. Referee Howard Foster, who has a reputation for quick stoppages, played against type this time and let the combat continue where many would have called it off earlier. It was also surprising Wardley's corner kept sending him out for more when he not only facially damaged but also exhausted. Still, Wardley was throwing, and occasionally landing bomms on Dubois' jaw, which made for a thrilling fight. With a shirt drenched in Wardley's blood, Foster finally ended things after one big punch at the start of round eleven. Wardley never went down and showed a chin that makes Joe Joyce's look like a glass jaw. However, Wardley's lack of an amateur pedigree finally caught up with him tonight: he carried his guard too low and overextended himself on missed punches, mistakes that Dubois made him pay dearly for. 

 

How good was this fight? Hall of fame promoter Frank Warren called it the best heavyweight fight he's ever put on. The promoter also said there was a rematch clause (presumably in Wardley's favor) in the contract. But Wardley, now an ex-champ, would be well advised to take several months off and come back with something a little less dangerous. Dubois, still only 28 years old, will almost certainly come under heavy pressure to face the division's heir apparent, Moses Itauma.