FABIO WARDLEY’S trainer admitted his brutal battle with Daniel Dubois “could have been stopped earlier”.
But he defended his controversial decision not to throw in the towel.
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Fabio Wardley got his face battered in his brave defeat to Daniel Dubois Credit: AP
Ben Davison admitted the fight could have been stopped earlier but defended his call Credit: Getty
Wardley made the first defence of his WBO heavyweight world title at the Co-op Live in Manchester.
He dropped Dubois twice – including just ten seconds into the first round.
But with his nose a bloodied mess and his face mashed up, Wardley was on the back foot for much of the fight.
He somehow bravely managed to stay on his feet throughout the fight before referee Howard Foster eventually waved it off in the 11th round.
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However, it was clear Wardley was going to lose as the fatigue and relentless pounding took their toll on the former recruitment office worker.
That led to criticism of Wardley’s camp for not pulling their man out earlier.
And his trainer Ben Davison admitted the bout could have ended sooner – but believes Team Wardley did nothing wrong in protecting their fighter.
In a statement on social media, Davison said: “On last night: Firstly, congrats to Dubois. Two tremendous warriors in a modern-day classic. We are super proud of Fabio.
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“I actually agree the fight could of [sic] been stopped earlier.
“I did not see Fabio stumble before walking over to the doctor at the start of round ten.
“As ironically we were discussing with each other 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 (vs Deontay Wilder). I was praised for not towelling Leigh Wood (vs Michael Conlan). I was firstly criticised then later praised for towelling Wood (vs Mauricio Lara).
“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 of been stopped earlier.
“However with that said I think Howard Foster got it bang on from his terms.”
Barry McGuigan was among the many to slam Wardley’s camp for their lack of intervention.
In a series of posts on X, the Irishman wrote: “Brutal slugfest, Wardley took a frightening amount of punishment.
“I don’t believe Wardley will ever be the same fighter again – that was an unbelievably exhausting and draining fight and he absorbed a terrifying amount of punishment because he was so brave.
“In professional boxing, one of the most dangerous things you can have is a brave cornerman.
“The corner should have pulled him out at least three rounds before the stoppage.
“As corner men, your ultimate responsibility is to protect your fighter at all times and last night Wardley took at least three rounds of unnecessary punches.
“I know it was for the world heavyweight title but as a cornerman you’ve got to know when enough is enough.
“The bottom line is the corner are culpable for allowing Wardley to take such a shocking beating, they work with him every day and know him better than anyone. They were dreadful.”
