Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley are set for an immediate rematch after Wardley activated a contract clause following his defeat last Saturday. The 31-year-old lost his WBO heavyweight title to Dubois in an 11-round thriller at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester.
Dubois, 28, recovered from two knockdowns in rounds one and three to stop Wardley, handing the Ipswich fighter his first professional loss. Promoter Frank Warren confirmed the rematch clause, which Wardley has now exercised, telling Sky Sports: “The boxing world knows my character… I made some mistakes that I will rectify in the rematch. Congratulations to Daniel, but I’m coming for you… and my belt!”
The rematch is expected to take place in late 2026, though no exact date has been set. Dubois sustained damage around his left eye during the fight, while Wardley aggravated a pre-existing nose injury and suffered a cut near his right eye.
Wardley had previously won two fights while behind on the scorecards, stopping Justis Huni in the 10th round last June and Joseph Parker in the 11th in October. The latter victory earned him the interim WBO title, upgraded to the regular belt in November when Oleksandr Usyk vacated it.
Dubois became a two-time world champion with the win, having previously held the IBF heavyweight title. He first became champion in 2024 by stopping Filip Hrgovic for the interim IBF belt, later upgraded when Usyk vacated. Dubois then knocked out Anthony Joshua to retain the title before losing it to Usyk in a rematch last summer.
