Fabio Wardley, less than one week after being stopped in 11 rounds by Daniel Dubois, has activated the rematch clause.
The contest, which ended with Dubois as the new WBO heavyweight beltholder, was a brutal affair as Dubois, 23-3 (22 KOs), got up from knockdowns in rounds one and three to administer a sustained beating. Wardley's face was badly damaged and, though he kept firing back, plenty felt the bout should have been stopped before Howard Foster did just that in the penultimate stanza.
Talking to Sky Sports, Wardley said: "The boxing world knows my character and Saturday night proved that without a shred of doubt.
"It was a fight for the ages but I made some mistakes that I will rectify in the rematch. Congratulations to Daniel but I'm coming for you... and my belt."
Wardley was named WBO boss without winning a title fight. Oleksandr Usyk gave up the title and Wardley, who beat Joseph Parker last year to claim interim champion status, was upgraded.
The 31-year-old, whose record fell to 20-1-1 (19 KOs) with the defeat to Dubois, is waiting for his facial injuries to heal but did not need hospital treatment following the bout.
