‘You’ll Be Gone,’ Fabio Wardley Warns Daniel Dubois

Daniel Dubois (23-3, 22 KOs) and Fabio Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KOs) will meet again on Saturday, October 17, 2026, five months after their first encounter, at The O2 Arena in London, with the former defending his WBO heavyweight world title. To say that Wardley is looking to send out an explosive message on fight night would be an understatement.

As he sat face to face with Dubois during DAZN’s “Face Off,” moderated by Ade Oladipo, Wardley’s warning was clear: ‘Don’t expect to see the last rounds.’

“Yeah, look, I’ve not made a career out of going to points. I’ve made a career out of finishing fights before the bell, not needing judges. And I had it done almost in the first round of our first fight, almost in the third round of our fight,” he said. “So, we’re gonna go back to the drawing board, pick apart those moments, pick apart you stylistically, what worked, what didn’t work, and within the first quarter of the fight you’ll be gone, you’ll be outta there.”

Wardley’s claim is broadly supported by his record, although the exact wording matters. He enters the rematch with 20 wins, 19 by knockout, meaning 95 percent of his victories have come inside the distance. He has also shown that his power translates against high-level opposition. Against David Adeleye, Wardley scored a seventh-round stoppage; he stopped Frazer Clarke in the first round of their 2024 rematch; and in October 2025, he halted former WBO champion Joseph Parker in the 11th round, showing that his finishing ability is not confined exclusively to the opening rounds.

Meanwhile, Dubois tried to use Wardley’s words against him, but the latter had a response locked and ready.

“You can’t steal my line. You’ve gotta get your own!” he said.

“Anything Can Happen”

On the other hand, he is cautious about not getting overconfident about how he’d potentially perform on fight night.

“It’s the heavyweight game; anything can happen. He was down in the first 10 seconds of round one. Anything can happen. And that’s not a slight. I’m just saying this is heavyweight boxing. That could’ve been me gone in the first 10 seconds. Who knows?” he said.

Joshua Ben Joseph

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.

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