Dubois Rises Twice To Stop Wardley;

Rafferty Demolishes Essuman, Chelli Shocks Morrell

In Queensberry Promotion’s “Don't Blink”

Upset of the Year Contender!

By: Ian Webb

Saturday, May 7th, Co-op Live Arena, Manchester, Lancashire, United Kingdom: In the main event of a Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotion’s, “Don't Blink” event streamed live on DAZN PPV, Greenwich, London’s, former WBA/IBF Heavyweight Champion, Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois, in one of the most savage, momentum-swinging heavyweight battles in recent memory, rose from a nightmare start and two knockdowns to reclaim the WBO World Heavyweight Title with an eleventh round stoppage of Ipswich, Suffolk’s, previously unbeaten Fabio Wardley.

Wardley exploded out of the blocks, dropping Dubois in the opening round with a sweeping right hook. He struck again in round three, sending Dubois down a second time and briefly seizing full control of the fight. But even under pressure, Dubois refused to fold, surviving the crisis and firing back with heavy shots that hinted the momentum was shifting.

From round four onward, Dubois began to take over. His jab and crushing right hand repeatedly snapped Wardley’s head back, forcing the champion onto the ropes, steadily breaking him down. By round six, Wardley was bleeding heavily from the nose, Dubois poured on the punishment.

The middle rounds became a brutal war of attrition. Wardley’s right eye swelled, his nose worsened, and yet he continued trading in the center of the ring. He even stunned Dubois in round nine with a huge right hand, only for Dubois to respond with immediate, ferocious combinations that reasserted control.

By round ten, Wardley, visibly spent, legs gone, his vision compromised and all his survival instincts hanging by a thread, Dubois continued to land flush, punishing shots.

The end came early in round eleven. Dubois unleashed a brace of clean, “Dynamite” right crosses that snapped Wardley’s head back leaving him helpless forcing referee Howard Foster to step in at wave it off at 0:28 of the eleventh round.

From two knockdowns to total dominance, Dubois with the stunning comeback, reclaiming the WBO heavyweight title moves to 23-3, 22Ko’s. With his first defeat, the former, white-collar boxer, Wardley holding stoppage wins over Eric Molina, Nathan Gorman, David Adeleye, Frazer Clarke, Justis Huni and Joseph Parker dips to 20-1-1, 19Ko’s.

In the co-feature, Shaw, Lancashire, 30-year-old, Jack “Demolition Man” Rafferty delivered a performance that fully justified every syllable of that nickname, systematically dismantling Nottingham, Nottinghamshire’s, Ekow “The Engine” Essuman in a six-round masterclass to claim the vacant WBA Gold Welterweight title.

From the opening bell, Rafferty, demonstrating the kind of lateral movement that makes even experienced operators look sluggish controlled the ring with a slick pumping jab and straight right hands.

The turning point came in round three, when a vicious one-two from Rafferty opened an ugly cut above Essuman’s left eye. “The Engine” now battling Rafferty and the flowing blood and the “Demolition Man’s” volume punching, rounds four and five become a brilliant showcase of Rafferty's range and timing. A sharp lead left hook and a thudding right hand landed with increasing frequency, the punishment continued building in both consistency and alarming effect.

The former British and Commonwealth champion, Essuman demonstrating great courage and an enormous fighters heart running on fumes pressed forward, landing the occasional shot never once showing any idea of surrender.

In round six, Essuman's knees buckled by a Rafferty demolition right, the bell rang to end the round, and the corner watching their man absorb more punishment than any fighter needed to take summoned referee John Latham to call it over at the 3:00 mark of round six. The 30-year-old, newly crowned champion, Rafferty remains unbeaten at 27-0-1, 18Ko’s. At 37-years-old, Essuman stopped in consecutive battles drops to 22-3, 8Ko’s.

In a massive "Upset of the Year" contender, Fulham, London, light heavyweight, Zak Chelli scored a shocking tenth and final-round stoppage of Minneapolis, Minnesota, southpaw, David Morrell.

From the opening bell, Morrell, widely considered one of the most dangerous avoided fighters in the division, imposed his will with authority. Moving forward behind a razor-sharp southpaw jab, he systematically attacked Chelli's body while dictating the pace and range of the contest. Chelli, thrust into the spotlight on short notice after Callum Smith's withdrawal due to injury, showed admirable resilience and ring savvy, remaining elusive throughout the early exchanges but simply could not match the Cuban’s blinding hand speed.

As the fight entered the middle rounds, the champion seemed to settle into a dangerous comfort zone, boxing with a troubling air of complacency as though the outcome was all but in the bag.

Continuing to land eye-catching left hands in the fifth and sixth rounds, with noticeable swelling had formed around both of Morrell’s eyes by the eighth round obvious to those ringside Chelli’s punches, though intermittent, were still finding their target with meaningful effect.

In round nine it all changed in a heartbeat. Chelli, written off by many before the first bell, reached deep and detonated a thunderous straight right hand that buckled the Morrell's legs sending him crashing back into the ropes where he would be mercifully be saved the bell.

The reprieve was short-lived. Chelli, sensing Morrell’s still shaky, in pure finisher mode swarmed the wounded Cuban with a vicious barrage leaving referee Darren Sarginson no other option but to step in and call it at 2:24 of round ten. The BBBofC English Light Heavyweight Champion, Chelli with consecutive stoppage wins advances to 17-3-1, 8Ko’s. Morrell 1-2 in his last three bouts drops to 12-2, 9Ko’s.

In a ten round light heavyweight match, Stretford, Lancashire’s, Bradley “The Sting” Rea secured the WBA World Light Heavyweight title with a statement fourth round stoppage of Sheffield, Yorkshire, Liam “Cannon Ball” Cameron.

Rea started sharply in round one, establishing his jab and a strong body attack before briefly hurting Cameron with a late volley to close the round.

Cameron cautiously steady working behind his jab controlling the space and pace to slow Rea’s momentum in round two. Like a bee and his honey, Rea, switching his stance turned up his work-rate began to visibly de-fuse the “Cannon Ball” with a bloodied nose in round three.

The breakthrough came in round four. Rea detonated a huge left hand that dropped Cameron heavily. Getting vertical and beating the count allowed to continue and immediately under the sting of an unanswered Rhea attack referee Bob Williams stepped in and called it at 1:35 of round four. Rea, 28, coming off a November, 2025 twelve round majority decision loss to Lyndon Arthur improves to 22-2, 11Ko’s. Cameron, 35, stopped in two of his last three contests falls to 24-8-1, 10Ko’s.

In a gritty ten round super lightweight bout, Treharris, Wales, Gavin Gwynne upset Bolton, Lancashire’s previously unbeaten, Khaleel “Major” Majid by way of a majority decision.

The 36-year-old, experienced veteran set the tone from the opening bell, marching forward behind steady pressure and punishing inside work. Gwynne’s relentless body attack and left hook dominance allowed him to dictate the early tempo, as he swept the first three rounds through sheer volume and physical strength, forcing Majid into uncomfortable exchanges.

Majid, however, adjusted well finding his rhythm and range, landing some well-timed sharp right hands in the middle rounds. Gwynne cut over both eyes from head clashes in round five briefly produced a minor momentum shift in round six only to see Majid’s cleaner combinations putting put the veteran on the retreat in round seven.

The Welshman, reasserted his pressure, smothering Majid on the inside returning to the body outworking the “Major” through rounds nine and ten, gradually draining slowing the 28-year-old through the championship rounds for a hard fought 95-95, 96–94 times two Gwynne majority decision win. Gwynne, 2-0-1 since 2024 back-to-back losses to Mark Chamberlain (TKO4) and Cameron Vuong (L10) improves to 19-4-2, 5Ko’s. Majid suffering his first defeat dips to 16-1, 4Ko’s.

In a ten-round battle of southpaw, heavyweights, Indio, California, based Uzbekistan, Bakhodir “The Big Uzbek” Jalolov preserved his unbeaten status with a workmanlike seventh round retirement of Zagreb, Croatia, Agron Smakici.

The, two-time Olympic Gold medalist used his disciplined jab to control the range against Smakici. Jalolov dictated the tempo from the outside, but unable to produce the explosive finish many expected, allowed the rugged Croatian to remain competitive through the first half of the bout.

The awkward Croatia a proved far more resilient than anticipated repeatedly closing the distance, taking advantage occasional defensive lapses disrupted Jalolov’s rhythm with sharp left hands gaining “The Big Uzbek” attention.

The tide bean to turn in the sixth round as Jalolov’s repeated straight left hands causing severe swelling around Smakici’s right eye started to exact a visible toll, prompting a visit from the ringside physician.

Jalolov dominated the seventh round, piling on the punishment and further worsening the injury, when Smakici returned to his corner, he informed his corner of a problem seeing out the eye and could no longer see effectively his corner informed referee Darren Sarginson who officially called the bout at 3:00 mark of round seven. The subpar performance in the books Jalolov stays unbeaten at 17-0, 15Ko’s as Smakici retired in consecutive outings drops to 21-4, 19Ko’s.

In a tougher than expected cruiserweight match, Cork, Ireland based Cuban, Mike “The Rebel” Perez showing surprising signs of ring rust persevered battling his way to an eight round points win over Abuja, Nigeria’s previously unbeaten, Franklin Arinze.

The 40-year-old, “The Rebel,” stunned by a heavy Nigerian right hand in round one, began to find his rhythm behind his southpaw jab in the third and fourth rounds.

Perez, taking the fight in tight digging hard uppercuts and drilling body shots in the middle rounds, Arinze would rally back in round seven with a pair of clean right hands. Both fighters keeping it close in the eighth and final round, saw “The Rebel,” labor on edging the 34-year-old, Nigerian for a wider than it looked, referee Darren Sarginson scored 78-74 points win. Perez coming off an August 2025 low blow ending no-contest versus Christian Fabian moves to 32-3-1, 22Ko’s. Arinze with his first loss slips to 10-1, 7Ko’s.

In a scheduled six round super middleweight bout, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 21-year-old, prospect Javokhir Ummataliev gained some valuable rounds methodically breaking down Tychy, Poland’s, Damian Drabik over the first five frames, finally dropping the durable 33-year-old, Pole for a referee Darren Sarginson full count at 3:00 of round six. Ummataliev stays unbeaten at 2-0, 2Ko’s. Drabik’s three bout KO run comes to an abrupt close at 5-3, 5Ko’s.

Aberdeen, Scotland, based Nigerian, super lightweight, Fawas Aborode successfully transitioned to the professional ranks with a clinical shutout victory over Newport, Wales, veteran, Garth Noot.

The 26-year-old, amateur standout, a technical "boxer-puncher" showed no signs of stage fright, controlling the pace and distance from the opening bell with a sharp, authoritative jab and impressive shot selection. He consistently found a home for his lead hook and demonstrated a mature body attack that sapped Noot's energy as the rounds progressed. While Noot attempted to turn the fight into a rugged inside battle in the third, Abor ode’s superior footwork allowed him to reset and dictate the exchanges at range boxing his way to a referee scored 40–36 points win. Aborode starts out 1-0 as the a durable "gatekeeper" Garth Noot 2-25 in 2026 drops to 3-192, 1Ko.

In a four-round super welterweight showcase, Dublin, Ireland, prospect, Bobbi Flood delivered another polished performance in Dublin, cruising to a shutout points win over Rotherham, Yorkshire’s, Nathan “Invisible Man” Darby.

Following a March viral 68-second knockout in his pro debut, the main question was whether the 21-year-old prospect could handle a durable opponent who refused to go down.  The ten-time Irish National champion and European Youth gold medalist answered emphatically. Rather than headhunting, displaying the maturity well beyond his years, Flood used sharp footwork and impressive ring IQ to systematically break down Darby 26-year-old, veteran with a relentless body attack. His amateur pedigree evident throughout, constantly changing angles and never staying in one place long enough for the “Invisible Man” to reset Flood finished strongly in the fourth round, scoring with a punishing series of power shots drawing a referee Howard Foster scored 40-36 points.

Flood signed to Queensberry Promotions, Flood is being groomed as a future "face of Irish boxing" trained by Stephen "Swifty" Smith of the famous boxing Smith brothers moves to 2-0, 1Ko as Darby sinks to 3-38-3.

In a classic "prospect vs. road warrior" four round super welterweight opener, Ipswich, Suffolk, 22-year-old, Issiah Hamilton-Allen used his youth and superior hand speed to control the center of the ring for the majority of the action, working and landing on sharp combinations to the body to wearing down Liverpool, Merseyside’s, 30-year-old, Connor Goulding for a conclusive referee Howard Foster scored 40-36 points win. Hamilton-Allen moves to 2-0 while the more experienced “opponent” Goulding finds himself back in the red at 6-11.

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Queensberry, time and time again, delivers a debut to a champion journey for richly talented young fighters and provides an unrivalled platform for them to showcase their ability to the widest possible audience via a major broadcast collaboration and an exceptional digital portfolio.

Fight promotions are regularly staged, servicing the requirements of novice prospects, contenders, title challengers and champions. Boxers are given every opportunity to build a following and maximize their potential.

The wall facing the entrance to the Queensberry headquarters bears the words ‘This is where the magic happens’ because, for decades, it has been the location where the biggest fights have been hatched and matched, where the biggest shows have been plotted and where the best fighters arrive to sign promotional terms for Frank Warren to guide their careers.

It is always about the fighters - with the key being development - but also about the sport, the business of boxing and conjuring up magical nights for the fans and making the fights they want to see.

The experience of Queensberry and the tried and trusted model for creating champions is unparalleled in the sport of boxing. The expertise of International Hall of Fame Promoter Frank Warren has been employed for some 45 years in the professional ranks building some of the biggest stars and navigating them to world champion status.

Frank specializes in taking young fighters right from debut and implementing his knowhow to pick the right fights at the right time and therefore ensuring the boxer is given every opportunity to maximize his or her potential.

Queensberry is currently in the position of being the world’s premier promotional organization, having spent many years building talent and putting in the foundations to ensure prolonged success. The company currently boasts a number of world champions, multiple world title contenders, numerous title-holders and the finest crop of young future stars anywhere in the world.

Queensberry fighters have been given the opportunity to shine on the major global stage both at home and abroad, under the Queensberry banner.