Boxing
Nerves won't hamper Dubois when he runs it back with Wardley
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Daniel Dubois makes no secret of the fact nerves got the better of him when he first locked horns with Fabio Wardley.
Coming off the back of a crushing defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, he was desperate to put things right when challenging for the WBO world heavyweight title in May.
Jitters badly affected his start on the night and he was floored twice inside the opening three rounds before rallying to force a stoppage in the 11th after a brutal slugfest.
Now, as a two-time world champion, the Londoner has vowed to make sure there are no lapses of concentration when he runs it back with Wardley at London's O2 Arena on October 17.
Relive the heavyweight epic between Wardley and Dubois
"Maybe a bit of inactivity, coming off a loss, just other things flying about," Dubois told DAZN News when explaining what went wrong in Manchester. "Just personal things you go through in life.
"This time, I'm really on it. I'm really ready to get some fireworks going."
That defeat to Usyk led to renewed claims Dubois lacked the heart to fight on when the going gets tough.
Having been stopped by the Ukrainian master in the ninth round in August 2023, he was dropped twice and counted out in the fifth when they met at Wembley Stadium just under two years later.
But after being floored by Wardley in the first 10 seconds, and again in the third round, Dubois rebounded to inflict enough damage on his foe to force referee Howard Foster to step in and wave it off late on.
And his trainer Don Charles insists there will be no repeat of that heart-in-the-mouth opening. He told DAZN News: "The nerves were very hard for him going into that fight [with Wardley].
"Going into this one, I can't really reveal the changes, but the nerves have been shaken off.
"There still will be some, of course, but not to the level of what he had. The concentration level will be more switched on because it [the first knockdown] happened in the first bloody 10 seconds.
"He got up, fought on and actually completed the round pretty strong. He came out and won the second round.
"It happened again in the third. Again, it was a glancing blow. Again, he got up."
One thing that seemingly hasn't changed is that Dubois, who turns 29 on Sunday, refuses to shake hands with Wardley prior to sharing a ring with him.
He added: "I don't believe in shaking hands before you're going to fight someone and try and knock their head off. I don't believe in that.
"I embraced him after the first fight, so I'll do that again. I'll pick him off the canvas and give him a good hug."
Both boxers have claimed they will make the necessary adjustments before fight night to ensure their rematch is a short-lived affair.
After Wardley, 31, revealed he expected to finish his foe within four rounds, Dubois quickly followed suit.
He said: "I just know I've got it in me [to win within four rounds]. I didn't even land a proper clean shot on him before.
"I just broke him down and chipped away. This time around I'll be more precise and shock the world again."
Dubois clearly believes he can produce a destructive knockout in rapid fashion to defend his WBO crown. Regardless of how the contest ends, fight fans can expect another explosive encounter.
Watch Garcia vs. Benn on DAZN
Britian's Conor Benn looks to become a world champion for the first time against US superstar Ryan Garcia on Saturday, September 12.
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