Nigerian-born heavyweight boxer, ‘Dynamic’ Daniel Dubois was beaming with delight in the early hours of Sunday, after he dumped former champion, Fabio Wardley in the second round of their rematch.
Sports247 reports that what had even tipped to be a bloodier clash than the brutal tango they had in May turned out to be an anticlimax, as Dubois floored Wardley in round one and sent him packing in the second.
That marked a very early end to their much-hyped rematch at London’s O2 Arena, and Dubois retained the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) heavyweight title he won from Wardley in May in much better style than he did the first time out.
The rematch came only five months after they tussled toe-to-toe in a frenetic and brutal contest, during which Dubois had to rise back on his feet twice from early knockdowns and punch himself to victory in a sensational 11-round bout.
Wardley, determined to quickly win back his world title, exercised the rematch clause in his contract and forced this second fight to come early, but Dubois showed early signs that he meant business when his powerful right hook sent his foe down on one knee in the opening seconds of the first round.
Wardley sprang back to his feet immediately, only to go down again from a right uppercut, for which the referee administered a count, but the former champ stayed gingerly on his feet till the bell saved him.
After the restart, Dubois had his rival under terrible pressure and Wardley couldn’t elude any of those stunning punches, as he swayed, pinned back to the ropes and another ‘DDD’ hook connected with such jarring force that it wobbled his legs and he could not hold off the attack.
Dubois positioned his prey in a corner and went in for a finish, jolting Wardley’s head several times with a salvo of punches, until the opposing trainer had no choice but to throw in the towel and the referee rushed in to end it; following which the Nigerian-born star had his hand raised in victory.
Dubois declared afterwards, “I had bad intentions from the beginning. Our back was against the wall first time. We just had to go out there and show we meant business tonight.”
Sports247 reports further that, in one of the undercard bouts on the same night, 20-year-old Nigerian-born Irish heavyweight prospect, Adam Olaniyan made short work of British journeyman, Dan Garber.
