October’s rematch was announced on Saturday at the O2 Arena when Dubois and Wardley faced off in the ring moments before Moses Itauma’s defeat by Filip Hrgovic for the IBF heavyweight title.
Dubois and Wardley both said on Wednesday that they had a new-found respect for each other after going through a gruelling 11 rounds earlier in the year.
But there was a tense moment when they faced off at the news conference, with Wardley asking “can we be cool?” before Dubois responded “after the fight, man”.
A confused-looking Wardley said: “Do you not like me? I thought after the fight we were all right?”
There were several awkward moments in the build-up to their first bout, with Dubois refusing Wardley’s fist bump, and there was a similar situation when they crossed paths backstage before their latest media engagement.
Reflecting on their first meeting, Wardley said he has learned from his mistakes and will ensure they are corrected.
“I lost a bit of, not to say the old me, but I felt a bit too comfortable with the really early knockdown followed by another in the third. I relaxed into the fight thinking I’ve done it twice and I can get him out of there,” Wardley said.
“I think I was a victim of my own success and got trigger happy. I was carried away with launching my right hand and trying to finish it.
“I was too relaxed, comfortable and laid back in certain scenarios.”
