Daniel Dubois’ head coach, Don Charles, has assessed whether Filip Hrgovic is fair to suggest that Fabio Wardley should retire.
The IBF world heavyweight champion urged Wardley to hang up the gloves following his rematch with Dubois, which resulted in an emphatic second-round stoppage defeat last Saturday.
Prior to that, Wardley had scored two early knockdowns during their first encounter in May, only for Dubois to gather increasing momentum and eventually stop his man in round 11.
Yet despite bearing the brunt of a truly hellacious battle, the Ipswich man swiftly triggered the rematch clause in their contract and secured his shot at revenge.
Only this time, it was Dubois who floored his man within the first 20 seconds, landing a heavy overhand right that set the tone for their rematch.
Following a similarly one-sided second round, it was then trainer Ben Davison who saved Wardley from further punishment by throwing in the towel and, in turn, putting an end to his desperate attempt at reclaiming his WBO title.
Offering his immediate reaction, Hrgovic hailed fellow world heavyweight Dubois but encouraged Wardley to retire, given the overall damage he has incurred in recent years.
In response to the Croatian, though, coach Charles has told Playbook Boxing that Wardley should return after a long layoff.
“That’s unfair on Filip to say that. It’s almost like Oleksandr Usyk saying Daniel Dubois should retire, because Oleksandr Usyk has beaten him twice.
“[Hrgovic] just about survived what Moses [Itauma] did to him. He should just really tone it down.
“What Fabio needs is a long, hard rest. Let the others smash each other up. Then he can come back again.”
Indeed, Hrgovic encountered enormous difficulty against Itauma but, ultimately, was able to score a stunning ninth-round finish and claim the IBF title.
