British heavyweight boxing is preparing for the continuation of one of the season's most dramatic rivalries. Daniel Dubois and former world champion Fabio Wardly have officially agreed to a rematch for the WBO championship belt. According to Sport RBC.UA, citing the official Instagram page of the Queensberry Promotions promotional company, the second bout between the two British heavyweights will take place on October 17, 2026, at the famous London venue O2 Arena. Thus, the dispute that began even after their first match is entering its final stage with a set date and venue.
Deal details: date, arena, and source
The key parameters of the rematch — October 17, 2026, and London's O2 Arena — were announced through the Queensberry Promotions promotional channel. This company is responsible for organizing the card and coordinating the terms of the title fight. The choice of O2 Arena as the venue underscores the status of the bout: the arena traditionally hosts the biggest events in British boxing and can accommodate a large audience, which befits the level of a title showdown for the WBO belt in the heavyweight division.
How the first fight ended: two knockdowns and a rout in the eleventh round
The first meeting between Dubois and Wardly took place on May 9, 2026, and ended with a spectacular early victory for Dubois. The bout was extremely dramatic: Daniel was knocked down twice — in the first and third rounds — but managed to turn the fight around and finish his opponent by technical knockout in the eleventh round. It was this defeat that triggered the rematch: immediately after the match, Fabio Wardly decided not to delay his return to the ring and on May 15, 2026, officially activated the mandatory rematch clause stipulated in the contract.
Dubois's reaction: "Destruction. Total destruction"
Daniel Dubois has already reacted to the acceptance of the fight's venue and date, assuring that fans can expect a hard-fought bout. "It's going to be tough. [What will the fans see?] Destruction. Total destruction," the champion declared, setting an aggressive tone ahead of the rematch. These words underscore that Dubois intends not merely to defend the belt but to put the dispute with Wardly to a final close, as Wardly earned a contractual right to a return bout after the first match.
Context: Dubois's path after his losses to Usyk
To understand the significance of the rematch, it is important to recall Dubois's trajectory in recent years. The Briton suffered two defeats to Alexander Usyk — in 2023 and in 2025. Between those fights he contested three more bouts, defeating Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgović, and Anthony Joshua. After his second loss to the Ukrainian champion, Dubois successfully returned to the title race and it was against Fabio Wardly that he won the WBO championship belt, which made their second match a mandatory title rematch.
Contradictory data
Here it is worth honestly noting a discrepancy in the versions. On the one hand, the Queensberry Promotions company, through its official channel, announced the agreement between the parties and set the date of October 17, 2026, and the O2 Arena venue. On the other hand, according to the publication ua-football.com, the sanctioning body WBO has not yet been able to fully confirm the Wardly–Dubois rematch. In other words, the agreement has been declared on the side of the fighters and promoters, but the final "green light" from the title authority, per the source, has not yet been received. Until the official WBO confirmation, the date and status of the fight should be regarded as announced by the promoters but not finalized at the sanctioning-body level.
Bottom line: the Dubois–Wardly rematch for the WBO belt is effectively set for October 17, 2026, at London's O2 Arena, and its main storyline will be Fabio Wardly's response to his technical knockout defeat in the eleventh round and the exercise of his contractual right to a mandatory rematch. Whether the date will remain unchanged after the final WBO confirmation is a question to watch until the official announcement by the title authority.
