After a fight that instantly felt like a modern heavyweight classic, promoter Frank Warren made it clear he expects Daniel Dubois (23-3, 22 KOs) and Fabio Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KOs) to run it back. Warren, who promoted Saturday’s card in Manchester and also represents Dubois, spoke with pride after the dramatic WBO heavyweight title fight.
A rematch between Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley now looks like the natural next move after their unforgettable WBO heavyweight title fight in Manchester on Saturday night. Speaking after the event, veteran promoter Frank Warren said the bout exceeded even his own expectations and confirmed the return fight is likely already baked into the sport’s next chapter.
That matters beyond one event. Heavyweight boxing is badly in need of action fights that fans actually want to see again, and Dubois-Wardley delivered the kind of chaos that can travel well outside the U.K. market. For American fans who often catch British heavyweights only when title belts are involved, this was the sort of performance that raises both men’s profiles in a hurry.
Warren opened his postfight press conference in a celebratory mood and called it the most incredible fight he has ever promoted. He praised both fighters for the punishment they absorbed and the pace they sustained, framing the matchup as one that instantly justified a second meeting.
He also pointed to the bigger heavyweight landscape, saying his team will first monitor how other major fights in the division develop. Even so, Warren said Dubois and Wardley are definitely headed toward a rematch, adding that the contract included that possibility because Wardley’s title defense was voluntary.
The implications are significant. If Dubois wins the rematch, he strengthens his case as one of the division’s most dangerous belt holders and keeps himself in line for even bigger fights against names like Agit Kabayel or the fast-rising Moses Itauma. If Wardley comes back and wins, he goes from feel-good titleholder to a legitimate centerpiece in the next generation of heavyweights. Either way, the division gets clarity it rarely offers.
One more thing stands out: both men entered with elite knockout numbers, and they fought exactly like it. That kind of risk-heavy style usually guarantees interest in a sequel, especially when neither fighter leaves with diminished stock. Now the focus shifts to recovery, the rematch timetable, and whether Dubois-Wardley II can be even bigger than the first.
