After an instant classic on Saturday where Daniel Dubois became a two-time world champion against Fabio Wardley, one of the key talking points is whether the fight should have been stopper sooner, and now promoter Frank Warren has shared his honest thoughts on the matter.
Dubois was sent to the canvas twice by WBO ruler Wardley within the first three rounds, but those two knockdown-containing rounds were arguably the only two that were won by the reigning champion and after round eight, the contest became more unsavoury.
Having emptied the tank looking for the big finish, a damaged Wardley looked extremely vulnerable in the latter part of the fight and the writing appeared to be on the wall, with the bloodied Ipswich fan-favourite inevitably on the verge of a brutal knockout.
Yet, somehow, Wardley remained on his feet and went out on his shield, despite the doctors twice being told to assess his injuries, with referee Howard Foster eventually intervening in round 11 and bringing the fight to a close, rather than lead trainer Ben Davison.
Davison has since received criticism for not saving his fighter from unnecessary punishment and whilst admitting that Wardley’s comebacks against Justis Huni and Joseph Parker must be considered, Warren told talkSPORT Boxing that he believes the bout should’ve been stopped earlier.
“I have got to be honest with you and I will speak the truth on it – I think that it did [go on too long]. But, I know what the full process behind him was, because of the fact of what he did from behind in fights both with Huni and Parker and how he pulled it out of the bag.
“It was the 10th round wasn’t it, against Parker? He pulled it out and knocked him over and as you could see, he was trying to throw that [same] punch, but he didn’t take the punishment in the Parker or Huni fight, as he did against Daniel and Daniel is a phenomenal puncher. He is a big puncher as a heavyweight.
“Having said that, you know, Ben and the team are seasoned trainers and cornerman. They feel that they know what they’re doing, but me, I would have pulled my man out.”
Despite being battered and bruised, it has been confirmed that Wardley suffered no major injuries in the fight. After being examined and told that a hospital visit was not required, the 31-year-old attended a private hospital as a precaution and got the all-clear, suffering no concussion, breaks or fractures.
