Fabio Wardley says there are “zero excuses” heading into his highly anticipated rematch with WBO heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois on 17 October as he looks to write a new chapter in his story.
Wardley, 31, dropped fellow Briton Dubois twice when they fought in May but was stopped in round 11 and lost his world title.
The Ipswich fighter immediately triggered his rematch clause and will look to avenge the only defeat of his career at London’s O2 Arena.
“I have zero excuses for the loss on the night and zero excuses going into the rematch,” Wardley said at Wednesday’s launch news conference.
"It’s just another chapter in the story that is my career.
“By no means did I expect to get through boxing unscathed - not many do. Even Daniel has proven you can take a loss and come back, he’s a two-time heavyweight champion.”
Dubois was coming off the third defeat of his 26-fight career when he showed courage to twice get off the canvas to overcome Wardley.
The 28-year-old, who also held the IBF title in 2024, vowed to seize his opportunity to build momentum with another victory as he looks to unify in 2027.
“I was coming off a defeat so I was a bit nervous. It’s a fresh start for me,” said Dubois.
“I want to be the last man standing and be up there with the greats.”
October’s rematch was announced on Saturday at the O2 Arena when Dubois and Wardley faced off in the ring moments before Moses Itauma’s defeat by Filip Hrgovic for the IBF heavyweight title.
Dubois and Wardley both said on Wednesday that they had a new-found respect for each other after going through a gruelling 11 rounds earlier in the year.
But there was a tense moment when they faced off at the news conference, with Wardley asking “can we be cool?” before Dubois responded “after the fight, man”.
A confused-looking Wardley said: “Do you not like me? I thought after the fight we were all right?”
There were several awkward moments in the build-up to their first bout, with Dubois refusing Wardley’s fist bump, and there was a similar situation when they crossed paths backstage before their latest media engagement.
Reflecting on their first meeting, Wardley said he has learned from his mistakes and will ensure they are corrected.
“I lost a bit of, not to say the old me, but I felt a bit too comfortable with the really early knockdown followed by another in the third. I relaxed into the fight thinking I’ve done it twice and I can get him out of there,” Wardley said.
"I think I was a victim of my own success and got trigger happy. I was carried away with launching my right hand and trying to finish it.
“I was too relaxed, comfortable and laid back in certain scenarios.”
Dubois kept his answers short, insisting he is not looking beyond Wardley, but Queensberry chief Frank Warren painted a picture of how bright the future might look for the winner.
Queensberry have built a strong stable of heavyweights over recent years and have three of the four world champions in their ranks.
Alongside WBO champion Dubois, Warren has WBC champion Agit Kabayel and newly crowned IBF title-holder Filip Hrgovic.
Warren’s intention is to keep those belts in-house and he plans to ensure they are all active in 2027.
“We’ll be working hard to make the unifications - that’s our plan,” Warren said.
“Next year it’s about getting them all together. We’re doing something that even Don King didn’t do. They are fighting regularly in big fights.”
