LONDON -- Daniel Dubois beat Fabio Wardley for the second time in five months to retain his WBO heavyweight title Saturday with a brutal Round 2 stoppage in London.
Dubois (24-3, 23 KOs) was quick out of the blocks and dropped Wardley (20-2-1, 19 KOs) with a right hand in the first half of Round 1.
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Wardley tried to remain composed and use his jab but was marched down by a powerful Dubois, who looked intent on inflicting as much damage as early as he could.
Dubois had Wardley pinned against the ropes and let his hands go late in a breathless opening round that prompted Wardley's coach, Ben Davison, to get to his feet in the corner with the towel in his hand before Wardley was saved by the bell.
The writing was, however, on the wall. Wardley attempted to fire back but Dubois was also light on his feet and looked strong and agile in the time he was in the ring.
Dubois lunged forward again in Round 2 and backed Wardley up. This time, Davison did not hesitate with the fight going only one way and he threw in the towel.
Dubois, who also made a speedy walk to the ring, was under the lights for about 20 minutes total and exemplified the "not getting paid for overtime" adage. Just as he did in their first meeting in May, Dubois unleashed his power and physicality on Wardley.
"Are you not entertained?" Dubois bellowed into the microphone, just as he did when he demolished Anthony Joshua in 2024.
"Fabio is a great boy, coming in for the second time, but it was my time and my era. I had my intentions, bad intentions from the beginning," Dubois said.
"My back was against the wall the first time, this time we just had to go out there and show that we mean business, which is what we did tonight."
Questions loomed over Wardley coming into the fight: Could he make the necessary adjustments? What did he have left in the tank just 161 days after a brutal first fight? He didn't get any time to provide the answers. Dubois imposed himself and would not be stopped.
After the fight, IBF champion Filip Hrgovic, who stopped Moses Itauma in August, climbed into the ring and faced off with Dubois.
Queensberry promoter Frank Warren, who has Dubois, Hrgovic and WBC champion Agit Kabayel -- who defends his title in Germany next month -- as well as Tyson Fury, has said unification bouts await all his champions next year.
Wardley was humble in defeat and congratulated Dubois.
"I have always thrown myself in with the best competitors out there," he said.
"The best in the business, the biggest, hardest, meanest guys around so, there is no shame in a loss when you're testing yourself against the best."