On the night from Saturday, October 17, to Sunday, October 18, a fight for the WBO heavyweight title will take place in London at The O2 arena, with the reigning titleholder Daniel Dubois facing Fabio Wardley in a rematch, UNN writes.
On Saturday at London’s O2 Arena, Daniel Dubois will defend his WBO heavyweight title against his compatriot Fabio Wardley in a rematch of their thrilling first encounter in May.
The first fight
In May, Dubois and then-WBO champion Wardley met for the first time in Manchester. In that bout, Dubois won by technical knockout in the 11th round, although the fight was difficult for Dubois.
The fight took place at the Co-op Live arena. According to the agency, Dubois was late for the bout because of traffic jams on the roads.
In just the 10th second, Wardley knocked Dubois down with a right-hand punch, and later
repeated this in the third round. Despite this, the former IBF champion managed to turn the fight around and gradually took control.
Despite being knocked down twice, Dubois was able to adapt, and starting in the fourth round, he took the initiative, forcing Wardley into exchanges and breaking his opponent’s nose.
At the beginning of the 11th round, referee Howard Foster stopped the fight.
For Wardley, this defeat was the first of his professional career. His record now stands at 20 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw.
After the fight ended, Wardley asked: "Where is my mum? I want to tell Mum that I’m all right".
For Dubois, the victory marked a comeback after his defeat by Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, who knocked out the Briton in the fifth round at Wembley Stadium in July last year and took his IBF belt.
The rematch in London
In August, Dubois and Wardley’s promoter Frank Warren, who, despite his promise, never gave Oleksandr Usyk a Bentley, announced the rematch in the ring at The O2.
"On October 17 here at The O2 in London, there will be a rematch. It will be one of the best heavyweight fights we have seen in recent years. It will be a rematch between the reigning champion Daniel Dubois and former champion Fabio Wardley. On October 17, you will see a brilliant fight. Don’t miss it," Warren said.
Standing in the ring opposite Wardley, Dubois said: "Another confident victory and an amazing performance. I can’t wait. Let’s get started. It’s just war. When you go into the water, you inevitably get wet. I enjoy every moment of this. I can’t wait".
Wardley replied: "We went into that fight with boundless confidence, but adjustments need to be made. I proved that I can adapt and that I can change, and that is exactly what we need to do for this fight".
The day before, the boxers held a face-off ahead of the fight.
Where to watch, favorite
The fighters are scheduled to enter the ring at 00:30 on Sunday, October 18, Kyiv time. Boxing fans will be able to watch the fight live on the DAZN video platform. The broadcast will be available with a one-time subscription costing 913 hryvnias. The fight is also included in the service’s monthly subscription plan.
Bookmakers consider Dubois the favorite, offering odds of 1.3 on him. Wardley’s victory is priced at 3.75.