Daniel Dubois Climbs Off Canvas Twice to Stop Fabio Wardley

Dubois survives two knockdowns before breaking Wardley down behind the jab in Manchester

Daniel Dubois (23-3, 22 KOs) climbed off the canvas twice before stopping Fabio Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KOs) in the 11th round Friday night to win the WBO heavyweight title in Manchester. After two early knockdowns, Dubois gradually took control behind the jab and body work before referee Howard Foster stepped in.

Wardley came out fast and dangerous. Less than 15 seconds into the opening round, he cracked Dubois with a right hand that sent him to the canvas. Wardley stayed on him afterward, stepping in aggressively and throwing with bad intentions as Dubois tried to get his legs back underneath him.

Dubois responded in the second by starting with the jab and keeping the fight at mid-range. He steadied his feet, touched the body, and slowed the pace enough to settle himself. Wardley still found another breakthrough in the third, timing an overhand right that dropped Dubois for a second time.

That was the last major success Wardley had.

Dubois gradually took the fight over once he established the jab. He kept pumping it into Wardley’s face and chest, then followed with straight rights and hooks downstairs. The body work started to drain Wardley’s legs and take the snap off his punches.

By the middle rounds, Dubois was controlling the distance and forcing Wardley backward. He set his feet and let the combinations rip from the floor up, mixing uppercuts, short hooks, and straight shots while keeping Wardley pinned along the ropes. Wardley kept firing back in spots, but he was losing the exchanges and taking the heavier punches.

The punishment added up quickly. Wardley’s face was badly marked, blood running as Dubois kept placing shots through the guard. Dubois stayed disciplined, never smothering his own work, stepping back just enough to bring the right hand back through the middle.

Wardley’s toughness kept him in the fight, but the rounds were becoming one-way traffic. Dubois was walking him down behind the jab, digging to the body, and forcing him to fight at a pace he couldn’t hold.

The finish came early in the eleventh. Dubois trapped Wardley against the ropes and unloaded with both hands, firing hooks and straight rights in combination while Wardley absorbed clean shots with little coming back. Foster stepped in at 0:28 of the round to save Wardley from further punishment.

Dubois left the ring a two-time heavyweight world champion after one of the grittiest wins of his career. Wardley started fast and landed the bigger shots early, but once Dubois established his jab and began working downstairs, the fight steadily swung in his favor.