Carl Froch Backs Dubois to Stop Wardley Again in O2 Rematch

Carl Froch isn't hedging. The Hall of Famer has tipped Daniel Dubois to stop Fabio Wardley a second time when the pair rerun their heavyweight war at London's O2 Arena next Saturday, and his logic is simple: Dubois (23-3, 22 KO) finished the first fight the stronger man, and Froch thinks that gap only widens in the sequel.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Froch put a number on it — roughly a 10% edge for the WBO champion — and said he expects Wardley to be stopped again. He pointed to the damage Wardley absorbed back in May, contrasting it with a Dubois who finished the night upright and full of energy. For a man with 22 knockouts in 23 wins, carrying momentum into a rematch is no small thing.

How We Got Here

The first fight was anything but a clean win. Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KO) came flying out and dropped Dubois in both the opening round and the third, putting the champion on the canvas twice before the midpoint. Then the tide turned. Dubois found his jab, used his feet, and started dictating. Wardley's granite chin kept him vertical far longer than most would have managed, but referee Howard Foster waved it off in the 11th. It was Dubois' first defence of the WBO strap.

Context matters here, too. Dubois arrived at that night rebuilding after losing his IBF title to Oleksandr Usyk via fifth-round stoppage in July 2025. Beating Wardley made him a two-time heavyweight titleholder at 29, and by Froch's read he's walking into the rematch brimming with the kind of belief that's hard to manufacture.

Wardley, now ranked #4, is the underdog on paper and in the books — Dubois has been installed as a sizeable favourite. But the Ipswich man's record tells its own story: 19 of his 20 wins inside the distance, a draw on the ledger, and a single loss. He brings power and a frame that refuses to quit, which is exactly the recipe for another messy, dramatic night.

Froch's verdict is clear, but so is the caveat that makes this worth tuning in for. A fighter who dropped Dubois twice in one night doesn't lose his punch overnight. If Wardley lands early again, the 10% math gets a lot fuzzier.