Chris Oliver previews Saturday night's big fight between Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley, live on DAZN PPV.
Boxing betting tips: Saturday October 17
3pts Daniel Dubois to win by TKO at 5/4 (William Hill, Betfair, Paddy Power)
After a scintillating fight for the ages in May this year, Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley stage an unmissable rematch for the WBO heavyweight title on Saturday, live on DAZN PPV.
Those who witnessed their thrilling first encounter will not forget the brutality they witnessed for a long time to come and the return at London’s O2 Arena is must-see tv.
Given the respective brilliant knockout ratios and their penchant for violence, fireworks were expected in the first fight and it more than delivered on the hype.
Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KOs), who was unbeaten and making the first defence of his newly-acquired world title when he entered the ring as a slight favourite earlier in the year, was quick out of the blocks and dropped his man in the first 10 seconds of the fight.
He had Dubois on the canvas again in the third round and went all out for the knockout, but Dubois showed composure in the heat of attack to weather the storm and soon began to land plenty of heavy leather himself.
What followed was one of the most brutal heavyweight fights we’ve ever seen on these shores, before a bloodied and badly-swollen Wardley was saved from further punishment by the referee early in the 11th round.
The bookies could hardly split them on that occasion, but Dubois is a hot 4/11 favourite this time around, while Wardley is as big as 3/1 to gain revenge.
Wardley the underdog
Now Wardley finds himself back in familiar territory of being the underdog and having to prove people wrong, something he did with great regularity on his rise up the ranks. The Ipswich man’s ascent from white collar boxer to world champion as a professional is a real-life ‘Rocky‘ story and he has delivered Hollywood moments aplenty already in his remarkable career.
His come-from-behind victories against Justis Huni and Joseph Parker last year were like something from a movie, as he pulled dramatic late stoppages out of the fire when those fights were seemingly slipping away.
However, the manner in which he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in those fights was exactly why he was left in the Dubois fight for arguably too long earlier this year. The two early knockdowns from Wardley were a distant memory by the time Dubois was fully into his groove by the middle rounds and the latter dished out a beating which left the champion’s face a bloody mess.
Wardley’s corner, or the referee, should probably have called a halt to proceedings before the fight came to a finish and, as result, the likeable Suffolk brawler ended up taking the kind of beating that can end careers.
It became pretty hard to watch in the end, and it was the type of gruesome affair that left even the most hardened boxing fans begging for the punishment to end. That has to raise questions about whether it is too soon for an immediate rematch just five months down the line.
While Wardley went full-on into gung-ho mode after his early success and was frequently made to miss with his wild swings, Dubois showed all of his superior experience at the top level to stick to his game plan and work his way back into the fight.
The criticism he received for quitting in his first two defeats against Joe Joyce (2020) and Oleksandr Usyk (2023) can no longer be levelled at him, as he showed great heart and maturity in the face of adversity to fire back and turn things around.
Boxing clever with Dubois
With the better boxing fundamentals and more rounded skillset, Dubois took over once he got his jab going and was able to push Wardley back with his ramrod lead left hand, as well as detonating a huge right hand of his own with devastating effect.
It is hard to understand how Wardley never went down under such heavy artillery and it not only showed just how good his chin is, but also his remarkable resilience when under attack.
Having rattled off three impressive stoppage wins against Jarrell Miller (TKO10), Filip Hrgovic (TKO8) and Anthony Joshua (KO5) in 2023/24, Dubois came into the first Wardley contest on the back of losing to Usyk for a second time at Wembley Stadium in 2025 and had questions to answer. However, he passed the test with flying colours to become a two-time heavyweight champion, and the 29-year-old could be even better this time around.
The opposite can be said of Wardley, who took the kind of punishment that some fighters never recover from, and it certainly wasn’t his first experience in that kind of fight. His popularity has stemmed from his exciting approach and his highlight reel of a career, but that doesn’t lend itself to longevity and the 31-year-old could be damaged goods a little now.
Wardley always has a chance with one-punch knockout in his arsenal, and he knows he can hurt his man, as highlighted by the pair of early knockdowns in the first encounter. If he catches Dubois early again, then a Wardley stoppage is far from out of the equation at 4/1.
However, his only real chance appears to be getting rid of Dubois early on, as he doesn’t have the skills to outbox the champion and the longer this goes, the more it becomes the Greenwich man’s fight.
So, expect a fast start from Wardley and while it could be a very lively opening few rounds, Dubois can use his better footwork, superior skills and higher boxing IQ to take control.
That’s not to say Dubois can’t win early himself if he obliges Wardley in a shootout, as he carries serious power himself, but can make this much easier for himself by sticking behind his excellent jab and firing straight right hands on the back of that. Basically, keeping it simple and not taking too many risks.
If he does that, then he can pick apart Wardley as the latter begins to tire, which is inevitable if he has to roll the dice early on. There is nothing more tiring than missing when you put everything into every shot, and we saw that from Wardley in May.
Early finish?
I fancy a similar outcome of a Dubois knockout here, but possibly even earlier this time as there is no turning back the miles on the clock for Wardley and he may not stand up to as much punishment second time around.
However, it is just 8/13 for Dubois to win inside the distance and, while I think that is fair enough, I will look elsewhere in search of something above the even-money mark. One bet that fits the bill is Dubois to win by TKO which can be found in the exact method of victory market.
The fact that Wardley never went down earlier in the year meant that he had to be saved from himself, and it could be a similar scenario again. His granite chin and powers of recovery can lead to him taking serious punishment again and I expect his corner to be a little less brave this time. Failing that, the referee may have to rescue him again. Either way, the evidence of their initial battle suggests Wardley won’t be counted out.
These two men have given us so much excitement already in their careers and they are expected to deliver yet another enthralling battle, but I don’t expect a different result, and it could be an earlier finish from Dubois this time.
Posted at 1130 BST on 16/10/26
Boxing: Related content
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