Wardley, now 20-2-1 (19KO) was dropped 17 seconds into the fight at a sold-out O2 Arena, and simply could not get a foothold in the scrap.

He survived the first stanza, but couldn't keep Dubois (24-3, 23KO) off him in the second, getting pinned in the corner by a barrage as he tried to counter.

But Wardley could not land his power shots, and Dubois poured on the big punches, leading to the Suffolk man's corner throwing the towel in to save him from further punishment.

After the fight, Wardley, 31, paid tribute to his conqueror.

Dubois pours the pressure on Wardley (Image: Leigh Dawney Photography)

"Yeah, it's never fun to lose, but it is what it is, the game is the game," he said.

"I've always found myself in with the best competitors out there. They're the best in the business, they're the toughest, the biggest, hardest, meanest guys around, so there's no shame in the loss when you put yourself in with and test yourself against the best.

"Daniel's a testament to coming up short and coming again, and I'll be looking to do that same thing."

He added: "You try and adjust some things, and it just didn't work for me tonight. I wasn't clicking in the same way, and that's only down to me and myself.

"And there's so much credit to Daniel for how well he's prepared.

"Boxing is a game of fine margins, it can be done in a round or two, or it can go into a bigger war like it was last time, but, look, it was what it was.

"I didn't touch down or I didn't get sparked out like that, so, there's a little bit of pride to be taken in there."

Wardley was stopped in the second round (Image: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry)

Asked if he'd taken enough time off since the brutal first fight between the pair in May, he insisted that it wasn't too soon to return.

"No, not at all," he stressed. "I just came in and I didn't execute the game plan properly, so that was all.

"I hold my hands up to that, it's entirely down to me when I step through the ropes, it's only myself, it's only me in the ring doing everything, there's no blame to be passed around.

"When I win, it's all me as well. So, look, we'll go back to the drawing board as a team.

"There's no shame in losing to a great competitor like Daniel, he's a testament himself to losing, coming back - and I'll be looking to do the exact same thing."

Fabio Wardley vowed to come back stronger after defeat (Image: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry)

He concluded: “Thank you everyone here. A little old white collar boy like me could never dream of something like this, and thank you to Daniel and his team for two fantastic fights.

“It wasn't my night tonight, but, like I said, I'll come back stronger.”