Very rarely does a boxing fight on paper play out exactly as matched up, but on Saturday in Manchester, England, heavyweights Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley overdelivered on a matchup appropriately titled “Don’t Blink.”
Throughout fight week, there was a tense energy between Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KOs) and Dubois (23-3, 22 KOs), and you could tell there was a real rivalry between the two. It wasn’t that they hated each other; it was more that they didn’t really care for each other because of their competitive nature. Wardley, the WBO heavyweight champion coming into fight night, had a newfound swag to him, while Dubois was trying to figure out why people were looking past him, as if he wasn’t the IBF heavyweight champion not too long ago.
Finally making it to Saturday night (fight night), the Co-op Arena was rocking, and the fans in attendance were ready to jump out of their seats the minute the main event began. Dubois would make his way to the ring first, being the challenger, with a look on his face that screamed nervousness. If that wasn’t enough, he almost slipped on the ring canvas as he entered, which could have been catastrophic. Then Wardley entered, and he had this aura about him that made you think he was coming in to handle business.
After all the formalities, the bell rings and both fighters meet in the center of the ring. About ten seconds into the first round, Wardley lands an overhand right, then a second that lands on the top of Dubois’ head, sending him immediately to the canvas. The crowd erupts, as it was very unexpected, especially that early in the fight. Wardley tries to capitalize on the opportunity, but Dubois somehow survives the round. Dubois receives the riot act between rounds and comes back in the second as a man on a mission. Dubois gets back to doing what works for him, leading his offense with the left jab. Wardley could not block it and did not see the right hand from Dubois that followed the jab.
In the third round, Wardley had enough of Dubois’ jab and landed another overhand right to the top of Dubois’ head, forcing him to take a knee for the second knockdown of the fight. Everyone in attendance thought the end would be near, and somehow Dubois made it to the end of the round. But in the fourth round, Dubois hurt Wardley with his overhand right while keeping his left jab constantly in Wardley’s face. Dubois kept his 1-2 combination through the fifth, but in the sixth, Dubois landed a right hand that nearly folded Wardley, and somehow, he survived it. At this point, Wardley’s right eye was closing, and the bridge of his nose had a cut that was bleeding a ton.
The seventh round will be a contender for Round of the Year, as Dubois had Wardley nearly out on his feet, but in spots, Wardley would land a right uppercut or overhand right and would buzz Dubois. It was more Dubois in rounds eight through ten, as Wardley’s eye was just about closed and he was taking a ton of clean shots. After a flurry of right hands in the 11th, Wardley’s body finally shut down, and before he suffered any more damage, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.
Dubois is the new WBO heavyweight champion, having earned it after going to war with Wardley for 11 rounds on DAZN PPV.
Where Does Daniel Dubois And Fabio Wardley Go From Here?
It didn’t take long for Queensberry Promotions boss Frank Warren to lay out what’s next for both men, and that’s a rematch. Warren said the fight had a rematch clause, which means we will likely get Dubois vs Wardley 2 before the end of the year. In all honesty, I’m not mad about that at all. Saturday’s fight was one of the best heavyweight battles in recent years, so why not run it back? You could even do that one at Wembley Stadium if it’s available. It’s proven that these two fighters can produce fireworks.
Being Behind A Double Pay Wall Hurt The Reach of This Fight
I get why this fight had to be on PPV, as both fighters earned too much for it to make financial sense for DAZN. But this is the type of fight that grows boxing’s fan base. Putting it on PPV for only DAZN subscribers, or including it in the enhanced subscription, will limit its reach. I don’t know what DAZN and these promoters have to do, but when there is a matchup like this, you have to maximize the eyeballs watching it. Why not make it PPV just in the UK? And vice versa, when there is an American matchup, put it just on DAZN in the UK. DAZN is missing out on an opportunity to gain more subscribers by only placing it on DAZN PPV.
Both Dubois And Wardley May Never Be The Same
Although the fight on Saturday was a helluva matchup, both fighters may have left a part of themselves in the ring. Those types of fights take something out of a fighter, and whether they do a rematch or go their separate ways, they will be different. This heavyweight battle between Dubois and Wardley proved once again that when done right, a boxing event can be the biggest sport in the world.
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