Fabio Wardley bravely battled into the eleventh round in Manchester last night before referee Howard Foster stepped in to end his heavyweight title thriller with Daniel Dubois.
The main event delivered on its considerable hype, as Wardley – who was bloodied and swollen by the end – scored two knockdowns early but was ultimately outgunned by a determined and punishing Dubois.
Post-fight, a large number of spectators – analysts, fans and fighters alike – have said that the defending champion from Ipswich should have been pulled out of the fight by his corner due to the accumulation of damage, with many pointing to a moment as the tenth round began where he was extremely unsteady on his legs.
Responding to the criticism on Instagram, Wardley’s co-trainer Ben Davison was open in his analysis and said he ‘actually agrees’ that the fight could have been stopped earlier.
“On last night… firstly congrats to Dubois. Two tremendous warriors in a modern day classic. We are super proud of Fabio.
“I actually agree the fight could of been stopped earlier. I did not see Fabio stumble before walking over to the doctor at the start of round 10 as ironically we was discussing with eachother to “have the towel in hand”, by which time he had gone over and seen the doctor and seemed much steadier on his legs, which is what we saw.
“It’s such a difficult job to not only find a balance but to strike at the right time to stop a fight like that on a whim when your guy is responsive and firing back.
“I’ve been praised for not towelling Tyson Fury (Deontay Wilder) I was praised for not towelling Leigh Wood (Michael Conlan). I was firstly criticised then later praised for towelling Wood (Mauricio Lara).”
Davison went on to admit that he and the team – also including Wardley’s long-term coach Rob Hodgins and Lee Wylie – considered pulling Wardley out on two occasions but were quickly convinced otherwise.
“[On two] occasions we looked at it but 1. The end of the round came 2. Fabio fired back and killed Dubois momentum. Again very difficult in the circumstances of the fighter being responsive and firing back.
“I’ve seen mixed opinions on this one but I agree it COULD [have] been stopped earlier. However with that said, I think Howard Foster got it bang on from his terms.”
Davison also revealed that his fighter is ‘ok’ following stitches and checks in the hospital.
