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Daniel Dubois Defends WBO Heavyweight Title Against Fabio Wardley In London Rematch
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Dubois defends WBO heavyweight title against Wardley in London on October 17, 2026. Rematch follows May fight where Dubois stopped Wardley in 11th after Wardley floored him earlier.
10 outlets told this the same way.
Dubois vs Wardley 2
Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley will renew their rivalry in London on Saturday, with Dubois making the first defence of his WBO world title after stopping Wardley in the 11th round of their Manchester fight in May. BBC Sport framed the rematch as a test of whether Dubois can repeat his victory or whether Wardley can gain revenge and become a two-time world champion, with the bout set for the O2 Arena. Barry Jones said, "It's very hard to pick against the winner of the first fight when there's a rematch," and he predicted Dubois would win inside five rounds.
DAZN presenter Ade Oladipo said, "If I had to put money on someone, I'm putting all my chips on Dubois getting the stoppage again," while also favouring Dubois as the best heavyweight in the world. The rematch is set for Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, with Dubois defending his WBO heavyweight title against Wardley.
Weights, venue, and timing
Daniel Dubois registered 253.9 pounds at Friday's weigh-in in east London, while Fabio Wardley weighed 248.3 pounds ahead of their WBO title rematch on Saturday.
Both fighters came in at their respective career heaviest weights, with Dubois topping that at 253.9lbs for Saturday's rematch and Wardley at 248.3lbs.
Wardley told Sky Sports, "Knowing it's going to be a hard, hard fight is what gees me up, what keeps me going," as he described going back into the same kind of depths.
Dubois told Sky Sports, "I'm ready to go, ready for my job," and he added, "I'll break him down, break him down. Like last time, but better this time."
Boxing News 24 set the event for Saturday, October 17, at The O2 Arena in London and said coverage starts at 7 p.m. BST, with ring walks expected at approximately 10:30 p.m. BST.
Tactics and what is at stake
Wardley's manager, Michael Ofo, told ESPN they were unhappy with some of Dubois' tactics in the first fight and requested a "stronger" referee. Ofo said, "A few rabbit shots and leading with the head," and he argued, "We're calling for a stronger referee." Wardley wants to correct mistakes that cost him the world heavyweight title in May, and it described the first bout at the Manchester Co-op Live on May 9, 2026 where referee Howard Foster stopped the fight at the start of the 11th round.
The rematch will be on Saturday, October 17, 2026 at The O2 in London with the WBO belt at stake, while the exact time the two boxers will enter the ring has not yet been officially set. The winner will have huge fights on offer in 2027, and it quoted Dubois' confidence that he retains his world heavyweight title before pursuing unification matches in 2027.