Carl Froch has highlighted several mistakes that contributed to Fabio Wardley’s second-round stoppage defeat to Daniel Dubois yesterday evening.
The two heavyweights collided in an eagerly-anticipated rematch at London’s O2 Arena, with Wardley seeking revenge after suffering an 11th-round stoppage defeat in May.
Back then, the Ipswich man had floored his man in rounds one and three but was ultimately relieved of his WBO title after enduring a sustained beatdown.
This time around, however, it was Dubois who scored a knockdown within the first 20 seconds of their contest, landing a sledgehammer right hand that sent Wardley to the canvas.
After that, the writing was essentially on the wall, as Dubois continued pressing forward and came close to stopping his man at the end of the opener.
Wardley then entered the second round and seemed to be wearing the effects of that early knockdown, with his corner throwing in the towel following a vicious onslaught from Dubois.
Reacting to Wardley’s performance, Hall of Famer Froch said on his YouTube channel that the 31-year-old fought almost like a novice while attempting to regain his world title.
“I don’t know what Fabio Wardley was doing – his chin was in the air; he was pawing with the jab … it was just bad. He didn’t look like he was motivated; he didn’t look like he wanted to be in there.
“Maybe the first fight took too much out of him. He was cold, he got clipped and he managed to survive the [first] round. The referee gave him every possible opportunity.
“When he defends … he looks away and looks down at the floor a little bit. It’s dangerous – he’s not focusing and looking at his opponent.”
With Wardley amassing just four white collar victories before turning professional, it is perhaps unsurprising that he continues to make such technical errors.
