OPENING SHOTS WAR IS HELL: It’s already being mentioned as a contender for Fight of the Year, but the 11th-round TKO that made Daniel Dubois a two-time heavyweight titleholder also followed one of the most brutal slugfests in recent memory, with a blood- drenched Fabio Wardley on the losing end at the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester on May 9. Dubois, who picked up the WBO version of the title, was floored in the opening seconds of Round 1 and was down again in the third,
both times from big right-hand shots. But Wardley couldn’t keep Dubois down and struggled mightily whenever the Londoner imposed his boxing skills on him. A jolting left jab was the weapon of choice for Dubois, who caused extensive damage to the nose and right eye of his countryman in subsequent rounds. As the punishment intensified, the rounds became harder and harder to watch, as a bloodied Wardley
willingly trudged forward and absorbed blow upon blow. Brave beyond the call of duty, Wardley was never going to pull himself out of the fight and surrender his title. In the aftermath, his corner – headed up by trainer Ben Davison, as well as the ringside doctor and referee Howard Foster – all came under close scrutiny for allowing the bout to go on for as long as it did. RINGMAGAZINE.COM 5
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