Daniel Dubois’ demolition of Fabio Wardley has strengthened his position among the heavyweight elite.
The 29-year-old needed only two rounds to stop his British rival at London’s O2 Arena, retaining his title with a performance far more emphatic than their thrilling first encounter in May.
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Dubois can now turn his attention towards unification and some of boxing’s biggest names.
Meanwhile, Oleksandr Usyk is approaching retirement, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are finally preparing to meet and a new group of world champions are looking to establish themselves.
So what is next for the heavyweight division?
Who is next for Dubois – and where does Wardley go? IBF champion Filip Hrgovic made his intentions clear, entering the ring after Dubois’ victory, with both keen on a rematch.
Dubois stopped the Croatian in June 2024, but Hrgovic has since rebuilt his reputation, claiming the vacant IBF title with victory over British prospect Moses Itauma in August.
But Hrgovic, 34, has Cuba’s Frank Sanchez waiting as a mandatory challenger.
Promoter Frank Warren is working towards staging Hrgovic’s first defence in Croatia early next year, potentially delaying a reunion with Dubois.
The biggest financial prize for Dubois could be a meeting with the winner of Fury and Joshua’s December showdown.
“All those names are there to do a unification fight next year and that’s what we’ll be working on,” Warren said.
Wardley, meanwhile, has shown he can compete at world level, but the manner of Saturday’s defeat exposed a gulf in technical ability.
A return against a lower-ranked opponent could help restore confidence, but questions remain over whether Wardley can make the adjustments needed to challenge the division’s elite again.
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