# Dubois retains WBO title with dominant stoppage of Wardley

> Daniel Dubois floors Fabio Wardley in 17 seconds and forces a second-round stoppage to retain his heavyweight title at London's O2 Arena.
- Title: Dubois retains WBO title with dominant stoppage of Wardley
- Summary: Daniel Dubois floors Fabio Wardley in 17 seconds and forces a second-round stoppage to retain his heavyweight title at London's O2 Arena. Daniel Dubois…
- Keywords: daniel dubois, fabio wardley, wbo heavyweight title, boxing, o2 arena, london, sports, Dubois, retains, WBO, title, dominant
- Source: BBC Sport — https://bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/articles/c6gelq3zdy8wo
- Published: 2026-10-17T22:00:46.132+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: daniel dubois, fabio wardley, wbo heavyweight title, boxing, o2 arena, london, sports
## Dubois floors Wardley in 17 seconds
Daniel Dubois, twenty nine, floored Fabio Wardley with a straight right just seventeen seconds into their WBO heavyweight title rematch at London's O two Arena on October seventeenth.
## Wardley's corner throws in towel
Wardley survived the opening round but was overwhelmed by sustained attack in the second, prompting his corner to throw in the towel and end the fight.
## Dubois extends record to 24 wins
The stoppage victory extended Dubois' professional record to twenty four wins, twenty three by knockout, and three defeats. He registers a second successive stoppage over Wardley.
## Dubois: 'My time, my era'
Dubois said after the fight: "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."

> My back was against the wall the first time, this time we just had to go out there and show that we mean business
## Wardley's second defeat in 23 fights
Wardley, thirty one, suffered the second defeat of his twenty three fight professional career. He said: "There is no shame in a loss when you're testing yourself against the best."

> There is no shame in a loss when you're testing yourself against the best
## Sell-out crowd of 19,000 at O2
A sell-out crowd of nineteen thousand packed the O two Arena. Famous faces in attendance included actor Paddy Considine, comedian Rob Beckett, Oasis star Noel Gallagher and darts world champion Luke Littler.
## Dubois' path to next big fight
Dubois said he wants big fights and big money at this stage of his career. IBF champion Filip Hrgovic, whom Dubois stopped in June twenty twenty four, entered the ring afterwards keen on a rematch.
## Wardley faces uncertain future
After two bruising defeats, Wardley may benefit from time away. The former recruitment consultant turned professional in twenty seventeen and reached world heavyweight champion status less than a decade later.
## Key takeaway

Daniel Dubois retained his WBO heavyweight title by stopping Fabio Wardley in the second round at the O2 Arena in London on October seventeenth, extending his record to twenty four wins.