Fabio Wardley’s trainer has explained his decision not to throw in the towel following his humiliating loss to Daniel Dubois in a world heavyweight title fight.
Dubois was crowned the new WBO champion after coming off the canvas twice to stop Wardley in the 11th round of an epic all-British bout in Manchester on Saturday night.
In a social media post on Sunday, Wardley’s trainer first confirmed that “most importantly Fabio is okay” and then revealed why he did not stop the fight himself before referee Howard Foster stopped it.
Ben Davison said: “First of all, congratulations to Dubois last night.
“Two great warriors from modern classics. We are so proud of Fabio.
“I actually agree that the fight could have been called off sooner.
“I didn’t see Fabio stumble before he went to the doctor at the start of round 10. Ironically, we were talking about ‘let’s keep a towel in hand’, but by then he had gone to the doctor and was examined and his legs looked pretty solid. That’s what we saw.”
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Daniel Dubois had nothing but praise for Fabio Wardley after his sensational fight for the WBO heavyweight belt at Manchester’s Coop Live Arena.
“It is a very difficult task to not only find the balance, but also attack at the right time to stop such a fight on a whim when the opponent reacts and counterattacks.
“I was praised for not putting a towel on Fury (Wilder). I was also praised for not putting a towel on Wood (Conlan). I was criticized at first, but later I was praised for putting a towel on Wood (Lara).
“We saw it twice, and the first time, the end of the round came (and) the second time, Fabio counterattacked and killed Dubois’s momentum. This was also very difficult in a situation where the fighter reacts and counterattacks.”
“I’ve seen mixed opinions on this, but I agree that it could have been stopped sooner. But that being said, I think Howard Foster did a good job of doing it on his terms.”
Fabio Wardley’s face was bloody and swollen by the time the match was called off.
Davison said of Wardley: “It’s very easy to forget what Fabio has achieved.
“From a four-time white-collar fighter to a world heavyweight champion. It’s not an easy job to do, and it’s no easy task for us to help coach the world’s greatest fight.
“It has never been done before and it will never be done.”
