Dubois knocks out Wardley in two rounds to retain title

Daniel Dubois underlined his status as Britain's leading heavyweight with a devastating second-round stoppage of Fabio Wardley to retain his WBO title in London

Wardley floored Wardley with a straight right inside the opening 20 seconds of their eagerly anticipated rematch at the O2 Arena and continued his relentless assault. The 29-year-old survived the opening round but was overwhelmed by another sustained attack in the second, prompting his corner to throw in the towel.

Dubois registers a second successive stoppage victory over Wardley, just five months after climbing off the canvas twice to dethrone his British rival in a thrilling 11-round contest in Manchester. This time, there was no such drama for the champion, who was dominant from the opening bell as he extended his professional record to 24 wins - 23 by knockout - and three defeats.

"Fabio is a great boy, coming in for the second time, but it was my time and my era. I had my intentions, bad intentions from the beginning. My back was against the wall the first time, this time we just had to go out there and show that we mean business, which is what we did tonight," Dubois said.

Wardley, 31, suffered the second defeat of his 23-fight professional career.