Most observers expected Daniel Dubois to defeat Fabio Wardley in their heavyweight rematch at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday. What almost nobody anticipated was a performance so ruthless, so sharp and so brief.
Dubois (24-3, 23 KOs) wasted no time. Some fans were still returning to their seats with refreshments when Wardley hit the canvas for the first time. The original fight between the two men, which Dubois won by an 11th-round stoppage, had been marketed around the warning not to blink. The rematch barely needed the warning: anyone who looked away risked missing the finish.
With a second-round demolition of Wardley, Dubois strengthened his claim as the leading active heavyweight in the world. The obvious exception remains Oleksandr Usyk, the outstanding fighter of this generation. Usyk is nearing the end of his career, however, and although he relinquished all of his belts earlier this year, he has indicated that he will fight at least once more. Who he faces, and when, is still unclear.
Among the current champions — Filip Hrgovic, Agit Kabayel and Murat Gassiev — Dubois has now built the strongest case to sit at the top of the division. His power is well known, but his speed, work rate, footwork and stiff jab are equally imposing. Against Wardley, he landed 60 punches in less than six minutes of action.
His résumé is also the most convincing. He has beaten Wardley as a defending champion, defeated former two-time champion Anthony Joshua, and has a victory over Hrgovic.
There was something noticeably different about Dubois on Saturday. He looked more focused, more composed and more calculating. His intent was aggressive, but his execution was controlled, producing the kind of clinical display that trainer Don Charles will have appreciated. Dubois battered Wardley with heavy hands and never allowed him to settle.
So what comes next?
“Big fights, big money,” Dubois said first. Fortunately for both the fighter and boxing fans, promoter Frank Warren has the connections to make those fights happen.
WBC champion Kabayel is scheduled to fight in Germany next month, which makes a unification bout with Dubois easy to time. It would be a compelling matchup. Tyson Fury is set to face Joshua in December, raising the possibility of Dubois meeting Fury in a stadium fight or taking a rematch against Joshua. Both would be major events.
Hrgovic, who entered the ring to face off with Dubois on Saturday, is targeting a fight in Croatia next year and must first deal with mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez. Dubois, meanwhile, has made clear that he wants to reclaim the IBF belt.
“I was prepared for a war. Whatever he did was not going to affect me,” Dubois said. “His punches or anything. I would not feel them, and I was just going to go right through him.
“I was in the zone. I was so on it, and I was not going to be denied. I refuse to lose. Fabio has a great chin, and he is known for taking punishment, but I was going through him with those punches. I had to pull myself back at times and reset.”
Dubois is eager to maintain momentum and even challenged Warren directly in the post-fight news conference: “I want to know who’s next, Frank. Who’s next?”
Warren understands the quality of heavyweight he now promotes. “The good thing about it is, everyone wants to fight,” he said. “They’re fighting men. Even Filip in the ring was like, ‘Let’s get it on.’
“Whatever happens, Daniel in my opinion is not the same fighter he was even a year ago. He is a totally different fighter now, and we want to get these unifications on. We want the best fighting the best and find out who is the best.”
That message will please fans who spent years watching the heavyweight division fail to deliver its biggest fights. Now the pressure is on Warren to turn opportunity into action. If recent momentum is any indication, he may well do so.
On the evidence of Saturday night, Dubois should be favored against anyone he faces next.