Daniel Dubois destroys Fabio Wardley in rematch

Their first fight was a war.

The rematch was an annihilation.

WBO heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley last Saturday night in less than five minutes.

Dubois was on a mission from the opening bell. Wardley looked like a guy lost in a park of doubt.

Wardley appeared ready at the weigh-in. He had triggered the rematch clause in his contract.

Some said it was too soon. Wardley disagreed.

“Get me back in. I’ll sort it out myself. I’ll right the wrongs. I’ll fix it, and we’ll go again,” he said at a press conference a few months ago.

He also admitted, “I felt like I was a victim of my own success in those early stages. I just got trigger-happy and got carried away with trying to launch that right hand to get the fight finished.”

He’s not wrong here. He knocked Dubois down 15 seconds into their first fight. Wardley repeated the feat two rounds later. Dubois was confused and out of sorts. Things changed two rounds after that. Dubois took over and started to beat Wardley up. He relied on his jab and powerful right hand.

Wardley is there to be hit. He throws looping punches with his chin up. He had gotten away with it for 20 fights.

He was fortunate last year when he fought Justis Huni. Through six rounds, Huni got the better of him. Wardley was behind on all the judges’ scorecards. The situation was pretty dire.

But power can be the great equalizer. Wardley packs quite a punch. When his right hand lands, it usually means lights out. That’s what happened to Huni. The punch landed, and Huni couldn’t get up. Wardley was also behind when he fought Joseph Parker. He rallied again and won.

Dramatic, but dangerous.

The opposite happened against Dubois in their first fight. Wardley was way ahead after three rounds. By the sixth, the fight had completely changed. Wardley’s nose was bleeding, and his right eye was closing. Dubois consistently rocked him with big right hands. Wardley’s face was puffed up. He never went down, but the punches that landed were punishing.

And so, last Saturday night at a sold-out O2 Arena, Wardley faced Dubois again.

He said this two days before the rematch:

“It’s not just throwing down, stepping forward, throwing hands. Instead, [it’s about taking] a more tactical, strategic approach to things.”

Okay, makes sense. So what did he do?

He forgot to duck.

Wardley feinted and moved. Dubois didn’t bite. He stalked. Wardley wanted to box more in the rematch rather than simply bomb away. Good strategy. He tried this for a few seconds. Then Dubois forced him to the ropes and let fly with his explosive right hand. The blow landed squarely on the chin, causing Wardley’s legs to turn to spaghetti. One knee touched the canvas.

He wobbled over to the other corner. This was a nightmare. He fired his overhand right, the same punch that had felled Dubois twice in their first encounter, but it didn’t land. Dubois was a force, and he was in sync. Wardley’s plan to box was gone. He tried to trade punches with Dubois and, by the end of the round, was on the ropes and getting pummeled.

The bell saved him, but only for a moment.

Almost every time Dubois landed, Wardley felt it. Dubois’s right hand seemed impossible to avoid. The end came just past the two-minute mark as Wardley backed into the ropes. Dubois attacked with combinations, like a great white shark on a feeding frenzy.

Thankfully, Wardley’s corner threw in the towel. The punishment was brutal.

Dubois now has 23 knockouts in 24 fights.

Wardley is 31. The body can take only so much. He won’t quit.

Even though he should.

Up and away for Dubois, who wants big fights and big money.

He’s earned it, coming back from multiple defeats to Oleksandr Usyk and overcoming doubts about his heart from some so-called boxing experts.

When he’s primed and on point, he’s lethal.