Fabio Wardley has activated the clause in his contract for an immediate rematch with Daniel Dubois.
The Suffolk scrapper lost his WBO heavyweight title in an epic back-and-forth showdown with Dubois in Manchester last weekend. Wardley was quick off the blocks in the first round, dropping his rival in the opening seconds, before dropping ‘Triple D’ again in the third round.
Wardley showed tremendous heart throughout the rest of the contest, but Dubois’ experience paid dividends as started to take control of proceedings as the fight went on. The Londoner had a lot of success with his jab, and looked set to stop the fight earlier, but Wardley’s granite chin kept him in the contest. Ultimately, though, the 31-year-old took too much damage – with the referee eventually stepping in and waving off the domestic dust-up.
Promoter Frank Warren revealed to Sky Sports that a rematch clause had been inserted into the pair’s respective contracts. And Wardley, just days after suffering the first defeat of his career, has decided to take up the immediate rematch with Dubois – with the sequel expected to take place later this year.
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“The boxing world knows my character, and Saturday night proved that without a shred of doubt,” said Wardley. “It was a fight for the ages, but I made some mistakes that I will rectify in the rematch. Congratulations to Daniel, but I’m coming for you… and my belt!”
An official statement from Queensberry reads: “Queensberry can confirm that Fabio Wardley has activated the rematch clause following his defeat in last week’s WBO world title fight against Daniel Dubois at the Co-op Live in Manchester. All parties will now work towards a rematch of their fight of the year contender for later in 2026.”
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