Dubois Stops Wardley in British Heavyweight Classic

Daniel Dubois became a two-time world heavyweight champion last night after a thrilling stoppage of fellow Brit Fabio Wardley in Manchester.

It was non-stop action from start to finish. Dubois was on the canvas inside the first ten seconds after being caught by a Wardley right and was down again a couple of rounds later as the champion dominated the early stages.

But Dubois came back into it in the next three rounds, landing a flurry of shots and drawing blood from the nose of Wardley.

The final minute of the sixth round saw both men trading vicious blows, but it was Dubois who was in the ascendancy heading into the second half of the bout.

Rounds 7, 8, 9 and 10 all went Dubois’ way as the Londoner continued to land heavy shots on the bloodied Ipswich fighter.

But the decisive moment came in the early stages of the eleventh. A big Dubois right knocked Wardley onto the ropes and as the challenger advanced, the referee stepped in and called an end to a fight that will go down as one of the best we’ve seen on British shores.

What Next For Dubois?

After such a huge win it would be natural for Dubois to cast his eye towards unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

But the two have already fought twice previously, with Usyk coming out on top comfortably on both occasions.

So the appetite for a third fight may not quite be there from the boxing community.

That said, there were immediate calls for another date with Wardley, and early reports suggest it’s likely to happen.

Dubois will also be keeping an eye on the all-British bout between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury later in the year, while rising star Moses Itauma is another fascinating potential match-up.