Dubois stops Wardley in 11 rounds to take WBO heavyweight title

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Boxing - Fabio Wardley v Daniel Dubois - WBO World Heavyweight Title - Co-Op Live Arena, Manchester, Britain - May 9, 2026 Daniel Dubois celebrates after winning his fight against Fabio Wardley by way of technical knockout Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
Boxing - Fabio Wardley v Daniel Dubois - WBO World Heavyweight Title - Co-Op Live Arena, Manchester, Britain - May 9, 2026 Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois before their fight Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

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MANCHESTER, England, May 9 : Daniel Dubois dealt Fabio Wardley his first defeat as a professional to take the WBO heavyweight title in a thunderous and bloody all-British clash on Saturday.

Referee Howard Foster stepped in at the start of the 11th round to signal the end of the fight with Wardley bleeding heavily from the bridge of the nose and with his right eye almost closed.

Dubois rose twice from the canvas, including being dropped after the first 15 seconds of the fight, to pulverise Wardley and become a world heavyweight champion for the second time in his career.

"It was a war. Thank you Fabio," said Dubois, who was previously IBF champion after the belt was vacated by Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, with the Ukrainian winning it back in July 2025.

Source: Reuters

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