Carl Froch pays tribute to Fabio Wardley after Daniel Dubois defeat

On May 9, at the Co-op Live Arena, Manchester, Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois headlined a Queensberry Promotions fight card, live on DAZN. It was an absolute barn-burner, with Dubois winning by eleventh-round TKO to become the new WBO heavyweight champion. Reflecting back on the fight, Carl Froch has delivered high praise to Wardley for his bravery.

Daniel Dubois defeats Fabio Wardley to become the WBO heavyweight champion

What a main event it was! It exceeded many expectations and wasted no time in providing action, with Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KOs) landing a right hand just seconds into the fight, knocking Dubois (23-3, 22 KOs) down. Dynamite recovered from the knockdown, but was again caught in the third round, giving Wardley another 10-8 round.

From the second knockdown, Dubois gained control, using good footwork and his ramrod jab to control the distance effectively for the rest of the fight. Wardley undoubtedly still had his moments, but Dubois systematically beat up Wardley, whose granite chin refused to go down, under constant heavy weather from his opponent.

Both refused to take a back step, and when one landed, they both sat down on their punches and exchanged bombs, much to the delight of all watching. The later rounds became uncomfortable to watch, with Wardley unsteady on his legs. Under another flurry of punches from Dubois, the referee stepped in to wave the fight off, awarding Dubois the WBO heavyweight title and making him a two-time heavyweight champion.

Carl Froch pays tribute to Fabio Wardley

Reflecting on the wild firefight in Manchester, Carl Froch said:

“Fair play to Fabio Wardley. Heart, soul, courage, desire, and toughness to stay in there. He’s had a fantastic career. Become a world champion. He’s absolutely smashed it, but it’s heavyweight boxing, and it’s dangerous, and there was a scene at the end, where he’s taking down to his Mum, telling his Mum he’s alright and I’m fine, and he’s having a little chat, and it gets your heart, doesn’t it?

“You think to yourself, he’s in there with his face all battered up. He’s talking to his Mum, telling her he’s all right. He’s absolutely worn his heart on his sleeve and gone for it. He’d fight to the death, Fabio Wardley would. We talk about Daniel Dubois taking a knee and maybe quitting a little bit, which we have seen.

“It’s not just criticising for the sake of criticising. Fabio Wardley would never do that. He would fight to the absolute death. He’s just got it in him. He’s got that warrior spirit, and I f***ing love it. But we don’t want to see him get hurt. We don’t want to see him get knocked out bad and not recover from some kind of injury. 

“But for now, I think he just needs to take a good rest, a well-earned rest, and then come back and make the right decision. He’s a smart lad. He’s very articulate. He knows what he’s doing. He knows his limitations as well. He’ll know where he is. So, back to the drawing board, and hopefully, he makes the right decision going forward.”