Eddie Hearn believes Fabio Wardley has little choice but to take an immediate rematch with Daniel Dubois, arguing that another shot at the heavyweight crown may never come if he passes it up.
Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KOs) was stopped by Dubois in the 11th round on May 9 after taking considerable punishment. Wardley landed plenty of hard shots himself, but Dubois gradually broke him down before getting the stoppage.
The concern with rushing into a second fight is that Wardley has had little time to recover or make the technical changes needed to produce a different result. Going directly back against Dubois means facing the same power and pressure that caused him so much trouble the first time.
Hearn believes the risk of waiting is greater. Heavyweight title opportunities are difficult to secure, and Wardley already has his second chance available through the rematch clause.
“What Fabio Wardley has achieved is incredible, and he deserves it all because he got in there and done it. To get a shot at the world heavyweight title is so difficult to do,” Hearn told DAZN Boxing. “These guys are all like planes, like big jumbos waiting to land, right? When you get your landing slot, you better be ready because if you don’t land, you’re going to be circling around with another 12 planes, waiting and waiting and waiting. If Fabio Wardley doesn’t take this rematch clause, he may never get another shot at a world heavyweight title.”
Passing on the rematch would give Wardley more time to recover and rebuild against other contenders, but Hearn’s point is that there is no guarantee he can work his way back into this position.
Taking it solves that problem while creating another. Wardley has to prepare for the man who stopped him with only a few months between fights. He gets another title shot immediately, but not necessarily the time needed to become a substantially different fighter.
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Last Updated on 2026/08/13 at 2:29 PM
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