Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois: Result, scorecards, reaction, punch statistics, analysis, undercard results, earnings & more

Mark Mothershaw Published: 09 May 26 23:41

Everything you need to know after Daniel Dubois produced a sensational display to see-off the remarkably spirited Fabio Wardley to become a two-time heavyweight champion of the world in Manchester on Saturday night.

Boxing

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Result

The boxing pugilists amongst us, the sweet science lovers, will likely have been wincing at every heavy Daniel Dubois blow landing on the head of Fabio Wardley.

It was bloody, it was brutal and it was, right from the get-go, totally absorbing.

Wardley laying Dubois onto the canvas just 10 seconds in set the tone for arguably the most enthralling heavyweight dust-up of all-time.

The challenger picked himself up and fought well to take the second, but found himself facing the 10 count once more in the third as Wardley's power really began to take its toll.

Dubois' heart had been questioned in the build-up - rightly or wrongly - but my word, he emphatically answered any questions surrounding that as he turned the tide and began to really get to work on the bloodied and broken face of Wardley.

Somehow, the Ipswich man remained upright, even up until Howard Foster rightfully waved the bout off a few seconds into the 11th stanza, moments after Dubois had landed two more crashing shots which rocked the champion to his core.

It was compelling and, at times, uncomfortable viewing, but my word, Wardleyh and Dubois served up a true fight for the ages - one that will live long in the memories of the 18,000 plus crowd lucky enough to take the spectacle in at the Co-op LIVE.

Scorecards

All three judges had Daniel Dubois ahead on the cards at the time of the stoppage, as shown below:

Scorecard 1

	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	Total
Wardley	10	9	10	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	92
Dubois	8	10	8	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	96

Scorecard 2

	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	Total
Wardley	10	9	10	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	92
Dubois	8	10	8	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	96

Scorecard 3

	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	Total
Wardley	10	9	10	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	92
Dubois	8	10	8	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	96

Post-Fight Reaction

Daniel Dubois:

"It was a war, we went through the sticky moments.

"Thank you Fabio for that, thank you. I know I've got heart, bundles of heart. I'm a warrior in there.

"I thank Fabio for a great fight. I thank his team but we move on now. I thank god, all glory to god for this victory.

"He's a durable guy, durable warrior, great warrior. Thank you for a great fight man. It was an honor to be in the ring with you.

"I want to grow from this fight, improve and come back even better and go on a reign as champion again."

Odds vs Result

In terms of the outcome, it was commonly perceived that the bout was a genuine pick 'em fight, as was proven by the fact that the two fighters were almost inseparable in the betting before they stepped inside the ring.

This was a genuine 50/50 fight, although, if anything, at slightly bigger odds, Dubois was the narrow pre-fight underdog at 10/11, marginally larger than the 5/6 price for Wardley.

Dubois' odds-on price implied a 54% probability of victory.

Fight Analysis

Make no mistake about it, Fabio Wardley deserves huge accolades for the bravery and heart he displayed in what was in truth a one way demolition job for long parts of the fight.

Yes, Wardley had Dubois floored twice early on, but that aside, the challenger looked a class apart in terms of the fundamentals of the sport.

Wardley's story may never be replicated... white collar to world champion - it's unheard of. Many will now argue that so is his courage.

It was both remarkable and worrying at the same time.

Dubois constant jab was a thorn in the side of the Ipswich man, and that coupled with the Londoner's howitzer of a right hand always represented significant danger.

Somehow, despite, blow after blow after blow, bursting the eyelid, nose and cheekbone of Wardley, he remained upright - it was reminiscent of a Rocky and a horror movie intertwined into one.

Howard Foster, hopefully, saved Wardley from any serious long-term damage when he called a halt to the contest in the 11th round, but many feel it should have been waved off earlier such was the nature of the beating.

Punch Statistics

Fabio Wardley		Daniel Dubois
83	Punches Landed	261
253	Punches Thrown	504
33%	Percent	52%

Fight Earnings

Whilst no official figures have been revealed, it's anticipated that the fight purse for Saturday night's showdown between Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois sits at around £2.5 million.

Whilst the figure for the majority of us is astronomical, in boxing terms, it's relatively modest, with the long-mooted Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua bout likely to possess a purse of over £400 million!

Wardley's payday for his first defence of his prized WBO heavyweight world title will represent the biggest of his career to date, surpassing the £800,000 he earned against former heavyweight titlist Joseph Parker last year.

Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois Fight Purse - how much will each fighter earn tonight?