Boxing-Dubois stops Wardley in second round to retain WBO heavyweight title

Daniel Dubois ​retained his WBO ​heavyweight title with ‌a one-sided ​and devastating second-round stoppage of fellow Briton Fabio Wardley in ‌their rematch on Saturday. The champion made a storming start at London's O2 Arena and Wardley's legs went ‌from under him for a count within ‌17 seconds of the opening bell.

Wardley could have been stopped at the end of the first round when he ⁠took ​a further ⁠pounding but was saved by the bell. There was ⁠no escape from the brutal onslaught in the second ​and the towel was duly thrown in. Dubois dealt ⁠Wardley his first defeat as a professional when he ⁠came ​back from two knockdowns, the first after 16 seconds, to take the title in ⁠a thunderous and bloody clash in Manchester last May.

Wardley ⁠had been ⁠promoted to WBO champion last November after Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk vacated the ‌title.