Daniel Dubois defeated Fabio Wardley in an epic 11-round WBO heavyweight title. Boxing news

Daniel Dubois defeated Fabio Wardley by stoppage to become the WBO world heavyweight champion in an incredible 11-round epic at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena.

Defending champion Wardley started the fight off the pace with two knockdowns in the first three rounds – including his first in the first 10 seconds of the bout – but Dubois’ power was too much for Wardley as his dangerous right hook took a heavy toll on his blood-covered opponent.

Dubois came close to winning by stoppage in the sixth round, pinning Wardley on the ropes, but he sealed the deal in the 11th when a flurry of late punches forced referee Howard Foster to stop the bout.

“It was a battle,” Dubois said later. “We came through a sticky moment. Thank you Fabio for that, thank you.

“What a great fight, what a great fight, man.”

He continued: “We’re moving on now. I want to grow from this fight, improve and reign as champion again.”

He finished with a roar: “Aren’t you entertained? What a fight, what a warrior, thank you!”

Promoter Frank Warren confirmed that the fight had a rematch clause in the contract.

“These two guys showed such heart. Great heart. Chins. It was an amazing fight,” Warren said. “Exhausting. It had everything, exciting. Best heavyweight fight I’ve ever seen.”

Wardley v. DuBois: How It Happened

Dubois entered the fight hoping to bounce back from a second stoppage loss to triple world champion Oleksandr Usyk, but his night got off to a familiar start when the boxer got stuck in traffic on his way to the venue – echoing his infamous late arrival before his loss to the Ukrainian due to a pre-fight party.

Wardley, however, couldn’t get his night off to a quick start as the defending champion knocked out Dubois with a right hook less than 10 seconds into the opening round.

Dubois, visibly agitated, returned to the fight, rushing at Wardley in a clinch and later landing two huge right hands to swing the momentum in his favor.

The Londoner continued his recovery with a strong second round, landing a big arching right against Wardley on the ropes, but his opponent countered with a stunning second knockdown in the third, which left Dubois on one knee and needing eight seconds to get up.

Miraculously, an exhausted DuBois fought back, landing a ferocious one-two before clubbing a right hook left to put Wardley on the back foot in round four. The Ipswich Town superfan has never been knocked down in his 20-fight run, but was unlikely to stay on his feet for long as Dubois landed numerous hooks and jabs to the head.

Wardley continued to flail, missing his trademark right hand, and Dubois capitalized with a brilliant left jab to the face. He came close to winning with a stoppage in the sixth when he lunged at his opponent, who somehow remained standing despite visible blood and serious damage.

But the defending champion showed the resilience that has taken him from ‘white collar’ boxing to the top of the professional world when he landed a left jab to the face, making Dubois look vulnerable for the first time in several rounds.

Still on the upswing, Dubois continued to land blow after blow but Wardley, unsteady on his feet, would not budge. A large gash on his nose was inspected, but the cut was not enough to stop the boxer entering the ninth round.

The Londoner landed another brutal sweeping right hook to Wardley, who again staggered but stood tall and answered with an uppercut of his own.

Another visit from the referee and his corner was before the 10th round, yet Wardley still didn’t give in of his own accord. The resilient boxer could only stand so much, though, and Dubois’ shots early in the 11th were deemed the final blow by referee Howard Foster, who called off the fight and ended Wardley’s reign as WBO titleholder.

A titanic competition

Sky Sports’ John Dennen writes…

It was a contest of unadulterated brutality. When Daniel Dubois was reduced to the seat of his shorts just seconds into the fight and after two right hands from Fabio Wardley, it looked like he would unravel.

The questions that haunted him after the loss to Oleksandr Usyk and the first loss of his career to Joe Joyce were suddenly being asked again.

If that trip to the canvas can be attributed to a flash knockdown, in the third round, when he sank to his knees after another heavy blow, revealing old doubts about his temperament then returning with a vengeance.

But he got up, he regrouped and in doing so, without words, he found his answer. He answered Wardley, who fired back, first wildly, then with precision and always with brutal force.

After showing his tenacity, he began to dissect Wardley as he unleashed hard, solid, quick jabs, which hurt the champion.

Then the power of his heavy right hand took full effect.

Despite the unorthodox background of his own journey from ‘white collar’ boxer to professional world champion, in those early rounds Wardley showed his physical attributes, his own explosive power and his instinct for openings.

But as Dubois began to break him down, Wardley had to rely on many of his high-level performance attributes. He took many, many, powerful punches from Dubois and still refused to go down with the dog.

Wardley showed, against Fraser Clarke, against Justice Hooney and against Joseph Parker, that he is most dangerous when hit. But that quality, which has won him many fans, has kept him in the fight for a long time.

Visible evidence of where he was concussed and swollen eyes and his cut and damaged nose.

After a break to end the ninth round, his legs were still shaking and his bottom was unsteady. Yet he was allowed to go. He had to endure one more punishment at the start of the 11th and a furious salvo from Dubois before finally ending the fight.

There can be no doubting Wardley’s tenacity and determination. And if Dubois himself had any doubts about this, he found his own answer.