Where there is greatness, controversy can’t be far behind. Widely hailed as a modern heavyweight classic and a potential Fight of the Year contender, Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois delivered far beyond expectations. Yet the headliner at the Co-OP LIVE Arena has still become a talking point that continues to divide opinion online.
The stoppage itself sits at the center of the discussion. The referee ended the fight in the 11th round when Wardley failed to answer Dubois’s piercing shots. While many accepted the call, others felt that, given the reigning champion’s growing vulnerability, his corner should have stepped in earlier. That debate prompted Wardley’s trainer to explain his view.
“I actually agree the fight could (have) been stopped earlier,” Ben Davison’s Instagram story read. “I did not see Fabio stumble before walking over to the doctor at the start of round 10.”
“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.”
Davison said that timing a stoppage is one of the hardest calls in boxing, especially when a fighter is still responding and firing back under pressure.
He also pointed to past situations to show how fine those margins can be. Davison recalled being praised for not throwing in the towel when he cornered Tyson Fury in the first Wilder fight.
He also referenced his decision to let Leigh Wood continue in the 2022 fight against Michael Conlan, a call that was widely accepted in hindsight.
In Wood’s earlier fight against Mauricio Lara, similar questions were raised, although many later agreed that stepping in to protect Wood was the right decision.
Looking back at the Wardley-Dubois fight specifically, Davison said his thinking shifted as the rounds unfolded.
“2 occasions we looked at it,” he wrote. But first, the end of the round came, and second, Fabio fired back and killed Dubois’ momentum.”
“Again very difficult in the circumstances of the fighter being responsive and firing back,” he added.
In the end, Davison acknowledged that the bout “could” have been stopped earlier and agreed with referee Howard Foster’s final intervention.
Storm gathers around Team Wardley post-fight
To understand why he went into such detail afterward, it helps to consider the broader reaction that followed the fight in Manchester.
While Davison praised Wardley’s effort, he also took aim at “a few so-called ‘coaches’ better described as ‘pundits,’” pushing back against outside criticism.
The aftermath saw a strong reaction after Daniel Dubois was crowned the new WBO heavyweight champion, with the stoppage timing becoming the central talking point.
Retired fighter Darren Barker felt the fight should have been halted earlier, particularly when Wardley rose unsteady at the start of round 10.
“Save the man; he’s a father, he’s got a family—pull the plug on this one now,” he stated on DAZN.
Former world champion and boxing analyst Carl Frampton echoed that sentiment while still crediting Wardley for his courage.
“The referee or his corner should have stepped in before the 10th round, at least,” he said.
Adding another angle, heavyweight Derek Chisora, who was present at the Co-op Live Arena, offered a more measured take when asked about the stoppage.
“The ref could not stop it sooner because it would have been a problem for him,” he said.
Taken together, the reactions highlight just how narrow the margin is for corner decisions at the elite level, especially when a fight is slipping away but still active.
It is far simpler when a fighter offers no resistance. But in Wardley’s case, he continued firing back under pressure, and that slight chance of turning things around often delays the decision to pull the fighter. Sometimes, until it’s too late in what many still view as a winnable fight.
