Dubois Demolishes Wardley in Two Rounds, Eyes Usyk Trilogy Next

Dubois obliterates Wardley in rematch, retains WBO title

Daniel Dubois needed just 17 seconds to put Fabio Wardley on the canvas in their rematch at London's O2 Arena, a stunning reversal from their first fight in May when Dubois was dropped twice before stopping Wardley in the 11th round. Wardley survived the opening round this time but could not withstand a second sustained assault, with trainer Ben Davison throwing in the towel at 2 minutes 21 seconds of round two.

Dubois improved to 24-3 with 23 of those wins coming by knockout, retaining his WBO heavyweight title. Wardley, who had activated the rematch clause just six days after the first fight, fell to 20-2-1, suffering the second defeat of his career.

Wardley offered no excuses afterward, telling reporters, "I didn't execute the game plan properly tonight, that was all, I hold my hands up to that, it's entirely down to me." He said he would look to follow Dubois's own example of bouncing back from defeat.

Dubois sets sights on Usyk trilogy

Fresh off the win, Dubois is targeting a trilogy with Oleksandr Usyk, who gave up the WBC, WBA and IBF belts after beating kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in May but continues to fight. "We're coming out on top this time, we've made our mistakes and we're coming out on top," Dubois told reporters.

Promoter Frank Warren said he is working toward crowning an undisputed heavyweight champion within 18 months, with Usyk, IBF titleholder Filip Hrgovic, WBC belt holder Agit Kabayel and WBA champion Murat Gassiev all in the conversation.

Fundora survives scare, knocks out Hadribeaj with one second left

Sebastian Fundora retained his WBC super welterweight title in Las Vegas with a 12th-round knockout of Ermal Hadribeaj, dropping him with a left hand at 2 minutes 59 seconds of the final round. Fundora improved to 25-1-1 with 17 knockouts, while Hadribeaj, who had never lost as a professional, fell to 23-1-1.

"It was dramatic to knock him out at the last second," Fundora said. The win marked his fifth straight since his only career loss, a knockout to Brian Mendoza in April 2023, and his fourth defense of the belt.

Fundora is now eyeing an undisputed championship, saying he will "break either Jaron Ennis or Josh Kelly down," with Ennis and Kelly expected to meet in early 2027. In the co-main event, Armando Resendiz beat Koen Mazoudier by unanimous decision, improving to 17-3.

Scoring controversy mars Dubois-Wardley undercard

On the undercard, Michael Gomez Jr. appeared to dominate Louie O'Doherty over 12 rounds for the British and Commonwealth lightweight titles, but judges ruled it a majority draw, with one card for Gomez Jr. at 115-114 and the other two even at 114-114, allowing O'Doherty to retain both belts.

Tyson Fury blasted the decision on Instagram, saying Gomez Jr only lost two rounds and calling the result a bad robbery.

Itauma eyes January return as Chisora weighs in on opponent

Moses Itauma is expected back in the ring in January, according to promoter Frank Warren, following his ninth-round stoppage loss to Filip Hrgovic in August, a fight in which Itauma scored an early knockdown and led for eight rounds before fading.

Derek Chisora said Itauma's next opponent should be Richard Riakporhe or Frazer Clarke rather than Martin Bakole, calling Bakole too great a risk right now. Hrgovic, meanwhile, is expected to make a mandatory IBF title defense against Frank Sanchez, likely in Zagreb.

Itauma, 21, told The Ring he is still struggling to accept the loss, saying he has watched the fight back a few times and feels annoyed and gutted each time he does. It was the first defeat of his career.

PanAmerican Boxing Championships open in Puebla

The PanAmerican Boxing Championships got underway in Puebla, Mexico, with boxers from 26 national federations, including Olympians and World Championship medallists, competing in 22 bouts across two sessions on the opening day.

The tournament is the first qualifying event for the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, and runs through finals on October 24.