Fighter Profile:
Fabio Wardley

• Professional Record: 20 Wins – 1 Loss – 1 Draw
• Knockouts: 19
• KO Percentage: 95%
• Height: 6’5″ (196 cm)
• Reach: 78″ (198 cm)
• Stance: Orthodox
• Born: 18 December 1994
• Birthplace: Ipswich, Suffolk, UK
• Nationality: British
• Trainer: Robert Hodgins
• Manager: Dillian Whyte
• Professional Debut: 2017

Wardley’s record is particularly notable for the sheer number of stoppage victories. Nineteen of his 20 professional wins have come inside the distance, highlighting the punching power that has become one of the defining characteristics of his career.

Fabio Wardley’s route to the professional boxing ring was very different from that of many elite heavyweight fighters. Wardley began boxing in his early twenties and never competed in a licensed amateur bout. Instead, he had four white-collar boxing contests, winning all four, before deciding to pursue boxing professionally. That unconventional beginning has remained an important part of Wardley’s story as he progressed from relative newcomer to British champion and eventually world champion.

His lack of traditional amateur experience did little to slow his progress. Wardley quickly established himself as a powerful and technically capable heavyweight, developing a reputation for his aggressive approach, heavy right hand and ability to finish fights.

Wardley is an orthodox heavyweight who combines size and power with speed and explosiveness. At 6’5″ with a 78-inch reach, he possesses the physical dimensions expected of a modern heavyweight, but it is his punching power and willingness to engage that have become central to his style. His record of 19 knockouts from 20 victories illustrates his ability to finish opponents. Wardley has also demonstrated that his power is not restricted to a single type of attack, with stoppages coming through combinations, right hands and body shots.

Power and Explosiveness

Wardley’s most obvious strength is his ability to change a fight with a single punch. His victory over Justis Huni was a prime example. After struggling to impose himself on the fight, Wardley produced one devastating right hand that completely changed the contest in the 10th round. The same power was evident against Joseph Parker, where Wardley eventually forced the referee to intervene during the 11th round.

Adaptability and Ring IQ

While Wardley is often associated with his knockout power, his career has also demonstrated an ability to adapt. His two fights with Frazer Clarke provide a clear example. After their first encounter ended in a draw, Wardley returned for the rematch and produced a first-round stoppage. Against Parker, he was forced to deal with a vastly more experienced former world champion before finding his opportunities late in the fight. These performances have helped establish Wardley as more than simply a power puncher.

Wardley’s career already includes a significant collection of heavyweight honours:

• WBO Heavyweight World Champion
• WBO Interim Heavyweight World Champion
• WBA Interim Heavyweight Champion
• British Heavyweight Champion
• BBBofC English Heavyweight Champion
• Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion
• WBO European Heavyweight Champion
• WBA Continental Heavyweight Champion
• 20 professional victories
• 19 knockout victories
• Victory over former world champion Joseph Parker
• Victory over Justis Huni
• Victory over David Adeleye
• Victory over Nathan Gorman
• Victory over Frazer Clarke

Wardley’s professional record currently stands at 20-1-1 with 19 knockouts, with his only professional defeat coming against Daniel Dubois in May 2026.

Wardley captured his first major professional title in August 2020 when he won the BBBofC English Heavyweight Championship, successfully defending it once. He then stepped up another level, defeating Nathan Gorman in November 2022 to claim the British Heavyweight Championship. The victory represented an important milestone in Wardley’s development and helped establish him as one of the leading British heavyweights.

Further success followed in 2023 when Wardley added the WBA Continental Heavyweight Championship, before defeating David Adeleye in October 2023 to win the Commonwealth Boxing Council Heavyweight and WBO European Heavyweight titles. The Adeleye fight was another statement performance. Wardley controlled much of the contest before producing a decisive seventh-round stoppage, adding three significant heavyweight titles to his collection.

One of the most memorable chapters of Wardley’s career came through his two fights with Olympic medallist Frazer Clarke. Their first meeting in March 2024 ended in a split-decision draw after a fiercely contested heavyweight encounter. Rather than allowing the result to define their rivalry, the pair agreed to meet again later that year.

The rematch in October 2024 produced a dramatically different outcome. Wardley stopped Clarke in the first round, using his power to bring the contest to a premature conclusion and demonstrating his ability to make significant adjustments between fights.

The result reinforced a recurring theme of Wardley’s career: his ability to learn from difficult contests and return with a different approach.

In June 2025, Wardley faced Australian heavyweight Justis Huni at Ipswich Town’s Portman Road. The contest proved to be one of Wardley’s most dramatic victories. Huni was enjoying considerable success and Wardley was behind on the scorecards before a huge right hand in the 10th round changed the fight completely.

The punch sent Huni to the canvas and secured Wardley a spectacular stoppage victory in front of approximately 20,000 fans at his home-town football stadium. It took his record at the time to 18-0-1 with 19? Actually, the victory gave him 18 wins and 18 knockouts.

Wardley then produced the biggest victory of his career to that point when he faced former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker at The O2 Arena in London in October 2025.

Parker entered the contest with considerably more championship experience, but Wardley produced a sensational performance, stopping the New Zealander in the 11th round. The victory earned Wardley the interim WBO Heavyweight Championship and positioned him for a world title opportunity. When Oleksandr Usyk subsequently vacated the WBO heavyweight title in November 2025, Wardley was elevated to full WBO Heavyweight World Champion.

His rise was remarkable considering that just a few years earlier he had been entering the professional sport without any licensed amateur experience.

Wardley’s first defence of the WBO heavyweight championship came against fellow British heavyweight Daniel Dubois on 9 May 2026. The fight proved to be one of the most dramatic heavyweight contests of the year.

Wardley dropped Dubois twice, including an early knockdown in the opening round and another in the third. However, Dubois recovered and gradually turned the fight in his favour.

After a gruelling contest, the referee stopped the bout in the 11th round, handing Wardley the first defeat of his professional career and transferring the WBO Heavyweight Championship to Dubois. Wardley’s record moved to 20-1-1 with 19 KOs. Despite the defeat, Wardley’s performance demonstrated his resilience and ability to compete at the highest level of the heavyweight division.

The story is far from over. Wardley exercised his contractual rematch clause following the first contest, and the second meeting has now been confirmed for 17 October 2026 at The O2 Arena in London. The rematch will once again be contested for the WBO Heavyweight World Championship, with Dubois entering as the reigning champion and Wardley looking to regain the belt he lost earlier in the year. The fight was officially confirmed at The O2 Arena in August 2026.

The location also has particular significance for Wardley. He has already enjoyed one of the biggest victories of his career at The O2, stopping Joseph Parker there in 2025. Ahead of the rematch announcement, Wardley described the venue as feeling like a “home away from home”.

Experience the Fight with Gala Events

Gala Events offers Boxing Hospitality packages and VIP seats for Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley II at The O2 Arena on 17 October 2026.

Make a night of one of the biggest heavyweight fights on the British boxing calendar with premium seating and hospitality options designed for an unforgettable evening of boxing. Whether you’re entertaining clients, rewarding your team or simply looking to experience the action in style, our VIP Boxing tickets and Boxing Hospitality packages provide a premium way to enjoy the Dubois vs Wardley rematch.

View our Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley II hospitality packages and VIP tickets today and secure your place at The O2 Arena for this huge heavyweight showdown.