Daniel Dubois wants his next payday to reflect the damage he did to Fabio Wardley, and Frank Warren is promising a big fight for the WBO heavyweight champion’s return.
Dubois stopped Wardley inside two rounds on Saturday night, removing much of the suspense that made their first meeting such a hard fight. After surviving two knockdowns to win in May, Dubois handled the rematch quickly and immediately called for “big money and big fights.”
Warren plans to bring him back in February. The opponent remains undecided, which leaves the promoter with the harder part of that promise still to deliver.
“He will be in a big fight, and he wants big fights because he tells me he wants to earn lots of money,” Warren said to talkSPORT Boxing. “The only way to earn lots of money? You’ve got to be in big fights.”
That makes another routine defense a harder sell. Dubois has already beaten Wardley twice. A third fight offers little sporting interest after the manner of Saturday’s finish, and his next opponent needs to give fans a reason to expect something different.
Filip Hrgovic wants another chance at Dubois, who handed him the only defeat of his professional career. The IBF champion attended the rematch, and Warren pointed to his interest as one possible route.
A second belt would give Dubois something substantial to chase. However, Hrgovic has a mandatory challenger to face, so his enthusiasm does not make him immediately available.
Warren’s heavyweight roster gives him several fights to discuss, but holding promotional contracts does not remove the sanctioning bodies’ obligations. Those commitments could determine whether Dubois gets a unification next or has to wait. Dubois has done his part by finishing Wardley early and coming through without another exhausting battle. He is ready to turn that win into a larger cheque.
Now Warren needs an opponent who can help generate it. Calling the next fight big is easy. Producing one that justifies Dubois’s asking price is the job ahead. Blasting through a rival in two rounds after getting dropped twice in the first fight is the quickest way for a fighter to develop selective amnesia.
Dubois walks out of that rematch thinking he solved the puzzle entirely on his own terms. The reality is that Wardley came out reckless, walked into heavy artillery early, and essentially handed Dubois the exact shootout he thrives in. It does not erase the fact that when Dubois gets backed up or pressured by someone with actual footwork and ring IQ, the same old flaws show up.
Now he is talking about massive purses, calling out unifications, and looking past the division’s legitimate threats. He thinks he is a wrecking ball who can blow anyone out in six minutes, but that kind of runaway confidence usually gets a fighter timed and countered the moment he steps in against elite opposition.