Daniel Dubois: 'Even better and even smoother' as he targets Wardley rematch and talks of becoming 'a legend'
Daniel Dubois says he expects a smoother win over Fabio Wardley on October 17 and has declared his aim to become a heavyweight 'legend'. Wardley dropped him twice in their first fight before Dubois stopped him in the 11th.
Daniel Dubois has told Queensberry he expects a cleaner performance when he meets Fabio Wardley in a rematch scheduled for October 17. Dubois said he has improved since their first meeting — in which Wardley floored him twice before Dubois recovered and stopped Wardley in the 11th round in May — and claimed he now has “some boxing history” and wants to be remembered as “a legend.” The champion’s comments emphasise confidence, but last year’s exchanges between the two men underline the risk in presuming a straightforward repeat victory.
Dubois predicts a smoother second meeting and stakes a claim on heavyweight history
Speaking to Queensberry ahead of the rematch, Dubois said: “Even better and even smoother than last time.” He added: “I feel like I’ve improved and, having been the champion, I’ve improved double. That’s some boxing history I’ve got—a two-time world champion—and now I need to go down as a legend.” Those are Dubois’s words and ambitions. He presents the claim that he is a two-time world champion as his own description. The October 17 rematch date was mentioned in reporting; beyond that, Dubois’s comments show how he frames the fight not just as a title defence but as part of a longer-term legacy push.
Wardley dropped Dubois twice before an 11th‑round finish in May
Past results give context to Dubois’s claim of clear superiority
BoxingNews24’s reporting notes a mixed set of results in Dubois’s recent career that temper the idea of an uncomplicated rematch. Wins over Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic demanded work; Joe Joyce stopped Dubois; and Oleksandr Usyk beat him twice at close range. The piece also highlights Dubois’s knockout of Anthony Joshua as his most prominent scalp, but cautions that Joshua’s known susceptibility to heavy punches limits how much that win proves Dubois can solve other elite heavyweights. Taken together, those outcomes provide limited support for the notion that the return fight with Wardley should be straightforward.
Dubois must beat Wardley again before pressing for unification
The reporting concludes that Dubois needs a successful rematch to clear immediate doubts, then should pursue the other champions to build a legacy. BoxingNews24 suggests that unification victories and successful title defences would be the path to a record that justifies talk of becoming a heavyweight legend. For now, Dubois is discussing his place in history while preparing to face a man who, in their first fight, came close to derailing his latest reign.