WARDLEY TARGETS DUBOIS REMATCH AFTER FIRST DEFEAT

Fabio Wardley says he has identified an "easy adjustment" to make ahead of his heavyweight rematch with Daniel Dubois on Saturday at London's O2 Arena. The pair first met earlier this year, with Wardley suffering the first defeat of his professional career after being stopped in the 11th round. Dubois had been knocked down twice during that contest before recovering to win, a result that saw him crowned a two-time world heavyweight champion. Wardley is bidding to reclaim the title he lost and will defend his position as the challenger in Saturday's rematch.

Wardley said he had identified where he went wrong first time out and described the defeat as part of his development, noting he has had only around 26 or 27 professional fights. He said he had been "overzealous" and "overconfident" in the power of his right hand during the first fight, and said he and his team had worked on pacing himself round by round rather than looking for an early finish. Dubois is making a first defence of his WBO title in the rematch. Separately, former world champion Tony Bellew said that, win or lose against Wardley, he would advise Dubois against facing WBC titleholder Agit Kabayel, citing Kabayel's recent form, including a sixth-round stoppage of Zhilei Zhang.

Bellew said he did not yet know Kabayel's true level and described him as a "nightmare" opponent and a skilled body puncher who could get up off the canvas, despite not being the biggest or hardest-hitting heavyweight. A unification fight between Dubois and Kabayel could take place in 2027, contingent on Dubois beating Wardley and Kabayel beating Nelson Hysa in a contest scheduled for 28 November. No date has been confirmed for any such unification bout.