UK Boxing
Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois – results and post-fight report
Daniel Dubois climbed to the top twice, defeating Fabio Wardley in the 11th round to become the WBO heavyweight champion after an epic battle in Manchester on Saturday.
Dubois (23-3, 22 KO) was eliminated in both the first and third round, but stopped Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KO) in the penultimate round at the Co-op Live Arena.
With both fighters entering the bout with a 95% knockout rate, few expected the fight to be a success and it seemed like an early night was on the cards in the first 10 seconds.
Wardley, making the first defense of his WBO crown, detonated a brutal right hand that knocked his rival to the seat.
The 28-year-old quickly recovered and started punching with a piston in the second round.
However, the champion fired back in the third round, with another brutal right hand shaking “Dynamite” and sending him to the canvas.
However, Wardley’s success faded after the third round as the former IBF world champion launched a ruthless attack.
The player from Ipswich got back on his feet halfway through the sixth match and, after a series of blows, was one step away from being stopped.
By the seventh round, the 31-year-old’s face was covered in blood, although he bravely lunged for the fence in the hope of landing his trademark right hand, which has defeated Joseph Parker and Justis Huni in his last two fights.
At the beginning of the ninth episode, Wardley was examined by the ringside doctor, with his right eye closed, but was allowed to continue.
Dubois enters the fight after losing by knockout in the fifth round Aleksander Usyk last August he stunned his opponent with another right hand and Wardley looked completely exhausted.
At the beginning of the 10th round, he was examined again by the ring doctor, although he was forced to impose an even greater punishment.
However, his courageous run ended early in the 11th round, and a three-punch attack prompted referee Howard Foster to finally intervene and crown Dubois a two-time world heavyweight champion.
Wardley suffered the first defeat of his professional career.
“Thank you Fabio for a great fight,” Dubois said after the fight.
“It was an honor to stand in the ring with him.”
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Rafferty retires Essuman
Jack Rafferty forced Eko Essuman to retire after the sixth round of their welterweight bout.
Essuman (22-3, 8 KO) suffered a grave injury in the third round and blood flowed into his left eye throughout the fight.
With his eyesight failing to improve, “The Engine” was withdrawn in a corner kick, and Rafferty (27-0-1, 18 KO) returned to winning ways after a majority draw with Mark Chamberlain in August and won the WBA gold welterweight title.
Rhea stops Cameron
Bradley Rea returned to winning ways after stopping Liam Cameron in the fourth round.
Rea (22-2, 11 KO), who was defeated by Lyndon Arthur in November, defeated Cameron (24-8-1, 10 KO) with a strenuous right hand in the fourth quarter.
The player from Sheffield got up, but another attack knocked him to the ground and the referee waved his hand.
Rea became the second man to stop Cameron, who was previously stopped by Ben Whittaker, and won the WBA International featherlight heavyweight title in the process.
Chelli stuns Morrell
Zak Chelli pulled off a huge upset by stopping David Morrell in the 10th and final round.
Morrell (12-2, 9 KO) agreed to face Chelli (17-3-1, 9 KO) after a delay following the cancellation of his scheduled fight against Callum Smith this month.
The former two-division world champion appeared to be on the verge of a decision victory, but the Cuban collapsed in a disastrous ninth round in which he almost survived a powerful attack.
Chelli kept the pressure going in the final round and after pinning Morrell to the ropes, he landed a series of unanswered punches, forcing the referee to intervene.
Gwynne defeats Majid
Gavin Gwynne breathed novel life into his career when he defeated Khaleel Majid (16-1, 4 KO) by majority decision in a thriller.
Moving to the super lightweight category, Gwynne (19-4-2, 5 KO) put in a ruthless performance and won by two scores of 96-94, defeating the card 95-95 and claiming the vacant WBA International crown.
Undercard remaining
Heavyweight Bakhodir Jalolov (17-0, 5 KO) remained undefeated after forcing a seventh-round retirement over Agron Smakici (21-4, 19 KO).
Former cruiserweight world title challenger Mike Perez (32-3-1, 22 KO) broke Franklin Arinze’s (10-1, 7 KO) undefeated scoring record.
WHAT A SHOT BY UMMATALIEV
#WardleyDubois | Today | @thecoopliveManchester | Buy the PPV next @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/le8wou7JUh
— Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) May 9, 2026
Uzbekistan’s super middleweight prospect Javokhir Ummataliev (2-0, 1 KO) won two in a row after a brutal second-round knockout of Damian Drabik (5-3, 5 KO).
Irish super welterweight Bobbi Flood made it two straight professional victories by defeating super welterweight Nathan Darby on points, and Issiah Hamilton-Allen (2-0) did the same against Connor Goulding (6-11), also weighing 154 pounds.
The post Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois – results and post-fight report appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
Eddie Hearn detailed Oleksandr Usyk’s stoppage win over Rico Verhoeven.
Verhoeven pushed Usyk until the 11th round, causing many to question the Ukrainian’s preparation. However, Hearn disagreed.
Last weekend, he became the two-time undisputed heavyweight champion of the world returned during a historic event organized by Turki Alalshikh and The Ring magazine in front of the historic Giza Pyramids.
Usyk faced kickboxing icon Verhoeven in a fight that many thought would be straightforward for the champion, but it wasn’t.
The Dutchman gave a phenomenal performance and, in the eyes of many people, gave Usyk the toughest test of his career so far.
Hearn spoke to Fighting Hub TV and praised the challenger’s performance.
“You can’t take anything away from Rico, what he did was amazing.
“He was so unconventional, that’s one of the arduous things for a boxer, but normally Usyk would adapt to the style and find a way.
“I thought he was behind after 10 rounds. I thought the break was early, I thought the bell rang.
“He was unbelievable, so astute against the smartest in Usyk. It was great.”
Controversy surrounding the victory emerged already during the break. Verhoeven was ahead on many people’s scorecards and was eliminated in the 11th round with just 10 seconds left.
Usyk set up a series of attacks and referee Mark Lyson stepped in to stop the fight, even though the final shots appeared to have been thrown after the buzzer.
Although Hearn believed Verhoeven was in danger and could have been stopped in the final round, he believed the referee’s decision was wrong.
“I think he probably would have stopped him in the 12th minute, but we were robbed of finding out about it and Rico deserved to see what he could do in the 12th.”
Many questioned the winner’s preparation and whether he had taken Verhoeven seriously beforehand. Hearn provided insight into what could have changed during this camp.
“I think Usyk will always take it seriously, but the reality is he’s a guy who values legacy and this was a money fight.
“It wasn’t a fight he asked for, it was a fight that was presented to him and they said, ‘Yes, we’ll take it.’
“The others talked about legacy, about becoming a two-time, three-time undisputed world champion.”
Following Usyk’s victory, his next step remains unknown, but the promoter has outlined what he believes the ideal route will be before the 39-year-old finally leaves the sport.
“If I were Usyk, I would have a rematch with Rico Verhoeven right away in the Netherlands and probably end my career there.
“I don’t think he has to fight Kabayel, who is a great fighter, but what does he have to prove?”
The post Eddie Hearn’s Verdict on Oleksandr Usyk’s Rico Verhoeven Victory appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
On Saturday in Houston, Texas, O’Shaquie Foster will defend his WBC super featherweight world title in a hard-fought clash with former world champion Raymond Ford.
Foster will face Ford at the Fertitta Center, live on DAZN worldwide.
The two exchanged words throughout the build-up, and their rivalry ended on Tuesday when Foster pushed aside his rival as they came face-to-face for the first time during fight week.
Ford returned the favor at Thursday’s final news conference by shoving his compatriot before security separated them from further altercations.
Foster (24-3, 12 KO) reigns for a second time as the WBC super featherweight world champion, regaining the belt after losing it in a controversial split decision loss to Robson Conceicao.
The 32-year-old defeated Conceicao in an immediate rematch and was scheduled to defend his title against Stephen Fulton Jr. in December.
However, after Fulton missed weight, the pair instead fought for the WBC interim lightweight title, with Foster winning comfortably on points.
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The Texan vacated the belt to keep the 130-pound belt, which he defends on Saturday.
Ford (18-1-1, 8 KO) was previously the WBA featherweight world champion, winning a dramatic result last round stoppage over Otabek Kholmatov in 2024 to take the crown.
“Savage” was defeated a split decision in his first defense against Nick Balla failure that encouraged him to gain weight.
The 27-year-old Modern Jersey native has since won three straight games, surpassing Abraham Nova in his last appearance in August.
Sheehy comes face to face with Teran
Rising lightweight Charlie Sheehy looks to continue his undefeated streak against Nike Theran.
Sheehy (12-0, 7 KO) is undefeated in 12 professional fights, and Theran (20-2, 14 KO) retired after seven rounds against Justin Pauldo when the two shared a card in November.
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Jones is back
Olympic bronze medalist Omari Jones (6-0, 4 KO) returns to action, and the super welterweight prospect can break Diego Osuna Zuniga’s (9-0, 6 KO) record with a points victory.
Undercard remaining
Former world title challenger Miguel Flores (29-5-1, 13 KO) should have enough strength to defeat Javon Woodard Jr (3-3, 2 KO) at the distance in the featherweight division.
Newark southpaw Zaquin Moses (6-0, 3 KO) should remain undefeated with a points victory over Travis Crawford (7-6, 2 KO) at 130 pounds.
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18-year-old super featherweight prospect Julian Montalvo (6-0, 4 KO) could become the first man to stop Maximus Moya (3-3, 2 KO), and Frank Espinoza (3-0, 3 KO) could do the same against middleweight Bryce Blackwell (4-2, 1 KO).
Jahyden Franklin Britton (8-0, 5 KO) can stop Najee West (9-2, 4 KO) in a super middleweight fight.
The post O’Shaquie Foster vs. Raymond Ford – Substantial Fight Preview and Predictions appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
Rolando Romero didn’t mince his words when discussing a possible Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn clash later this year.
Romero expressed doubts about signing the Garcia vs. Benn contract, even though the American claimed that the fight was sealed.
Recently appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, “King Ry” stated that he has signed a contract to fight the Briton On September 12, during the first defense of the WBC welterweight title.
He won the belt in his last fight against Mario Barrios, defeating him in the first round before winning by unanimous decision.
Garcia has been linked to several fights over the past 12 months, including Benn, a rematch with Devin Haney and an immediate second fight with Romero himself.
“Rolly” passed Garcia last May and spoke to professional boxing fans on her behalf CampoBet AND Betinia about the 27-year-old withdrawing from the rematch.
“Ryan Garcia is the guy who calls everyone out and does nothing.
“How many people did Ryan Garcia draft last year?
“The only guy he hasn’t called out is me because he knows I’ll basically beat him up.”
He also didn’t hold back when discussing Garcia’s claim of a September 12 comeback and called him one of the worst figures in sports.
“Ryan Garcia is one of the worst.
“Do you believe the guy who literally fought an incredibly exhausted, burnt out Barrios?
“Can you believe a guy who says he’s never taken steroids?
“The whole boxing world is amazing, but Ryan is one of the worst.”
Romero then presented his predictions for how a possible fight between the pair would play out and gave “The Destroyer” little chance of dethroning Garcia.
“Do I believe that Ryan Garcia really wants to fight Conor Benn and dislocate his jaw because Conor Benn is the easiest fighter in boxing? Yes.”
“Anyone would take free meat.”
Romero has been out of the ring for over 12 months and also opened up after the fight that ended between him and Benn.
He claimed that the fight was to take place on May 30, when he defended his WBA title for the first time.
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Conor said he was going to fight me.
“We agreed on May 30.
“We had already finalized the transaction.
“Dude is a fan of mine. He sends me selfies when he’s bored.
“He does what he has to do. He has to support his family.”
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