Dubois–Wardley 2: Heavyweight Grudge Match at the O2

Queensberry Promotions have set out their stall for the end of the year, rolling three main events into a heavyweight-leaning run of shows that will shape careers and, in some cases, reputations.

At the top of the pile sits the one everyone expected – and the one both men clearly still feel in their bones.

Dubois vs Wardley 2: Grudge revisited at the O2

Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley will run it back on Saturday, October 17, at the O2 Arena in London, with Dubois’ WBO heavyweight title once again on the line. Their first meeting in May was a savage, momentum-swinging war in Manchester, eventually closed by Dubois in the 11th round via TKO. It was the kind of fight that doesn’t really end when the bell rings.

Now they bring it to the O2, a venue Dubois knows and Wardley calls “a home away from home.” The champion arrives with a record of 23-3 (22 KO), the challenger at 20-1-1 (19 KO). Both hit hard. Both know exactly what the other can take.

Dubois kept it blunt and on-brand when the rematch was announced in the ring ahead of Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic, with promoter Frank Warren centre stage. He promised “another dominant victory and amazing performance,” then shrugged off the idea of avoiding the kind of exchanges that made the first fight so punishing.

“When you get in the water, you're gonna get wet,” he said. “I love every bit of it. I can't wait for it.”

Wardley, still stung by the loss and the manner of it, spoke like a man who has replayed the mistakes a thousand times.

“The O2 is like a home away from home for me, so doing the fight back here will be special,” he said. “I'm just looking forward to getting straight back into it. It's going to be a rematch, and it's going to be revenge.

“We came into that fight with all the confidence in the world, but adjustments need to be made. And I've proven time and time again — you look at my fights with Frazer Clarke, the adjustments I made, or the Justis Huni performance into the Joseph Parker performance. I've proven I'm adaptable and I can change. That's what we need to do for this fight.”

Dubois’ response cut through the politeness.

“We’ll see. Give me some of that face-to-face shit, boy.”

They obliged, locking in a long, hostile stare that said more than any sales pitch. No need to dress this one up: it’s two heavyweights who already know how the other punches, and they’re both walking back into the fire. The bout will stream on DAZN, with Dubois vs Wardley 2 expected to sit on pay-per-view or the Ultimate tier.

Buatsi vs Hutchinson 2: unfinished business at 175

If Dubois–Wardley is the blood-and-thunder headliner, Joshua Buatsi vs Willy Hutchinson 2 is the slow burn that might yet steal the boxing purists’ attention.

They meet again on November 7 in Manchester, this time with the interim WBC light heavyweight title on the line. The first fight, in September 2024, slipped slightly under the radar but delivered a tense, tactical contest. Buatsi edged it by split decision despite being the one who scored two knockdowns and saw Hutchinson docked a point in the seventh.

The scorecards sparked debate. It wasn’t a robbery, but enough observers felt Hutchinson had done enough to warrant another crack. Now he has it.

Buatsi, 20-1 (13 KO), didn’t pretend this was his dream assignment. He sounded like a man who understands the business as much as the rivalry.

“This is what was put in front of me. He said we were gonna run it back two years ago, so here we are, man,” he said. “Something's at stake. If nothing was at stake, I wouldn't be here.”

Hutchinson, 20-2 (14 KO), has waited for this moment and treated the announcement like the closing of a circle.

“I'm very, very excited. This has took two years to get here, and now we're here again,” he said. “I told him two years ago after the fight, 'I'm gonna get ya,' and now we're here. I'm gonna win. Simple.”

This time, there’s more than pride on the table. An interim WBC strap at 175 lb changes the stakes, the risk, and the reward. For Buatsi, it’s a chance to stamp authority on a result some questioned. For Hutchinson, it’s the opportunity he’s been promising to seize since the final bell rang the first time.

Cacace vs Ball: respect, risk and a Belfast cauldron

The year closes on December 19 in Belfast, where Anthony Cacace defends his WBA super featherweight title against Nick Ball in a match-up that might quietly be the best of the lot.

Cacace, 25-1 (9 KO), claimed the 130 lb belt from Jazza Dickens on March 14 and now walks into a defence that carries real jeopardy. Ball, 23-1-1 (13 KO), steps up from featherweight after losing his WBA title there to Brandon Figueroa by 12th-round TKO in Liverpool on February 7.

On paper, it’s a champion at home against a former belt-holder moving up. In reality, it’s a collision of two hard men who don’t waste words.

“Nick's a great fighter, an ex-world champion, he's beaten them all. I expect a good scrap. He's a hard man. Let's do it,” Cacace said.

Ball kept it just as straightforward.

“It's a massive opportunity at a new weight,” he said. “He's a solid champion, it's going to be a good fight.”

No trash talk, no theatrics. Just two fighters acknowledging the danger in front of them. In Belfast, with a world title on the line and a partisan crowd roaring Cacace on, that kind of mutual respect usually means one thing: they’re planning to settle it the honest way, in the pocket.

All three main events will stream on DAZN, spread across three cities and three divisions. A heavyweight grudge at the O2, a simmering score to settle at 175, and a world title defence in a Belfast bear pit.

By the time the final bell rings in December, we’ll know who adapted, who avenged, and who simply couldn’t live with the heat.