Daniel Dubois recovered from being dropped twice in the opening three rounds to be crowned heavyweight world champion again, after a brutal and breathtaking battle with Fabio Wardley.
The Turning Point
The shot which appeared to change the course of the fight didn't come from either of the warriors in the ring. Fabio Wardley had made the perfect start to the first defence of his heavyweight world title, dropping Daniel Dubois after just 10 seconds. He repeated the trick in the third round to make a stunning statement of intent. But as Dubois rose from his stool at the end of the fourth session, his trainer Don Charles slapped him across both cheeks. From that moment on, the challenger barely put a fist wrong.
Trainer's Motivational Tactic
"I had to wake him up and make him realise the job he had to do," said Charles. As a motivational tactic, it won't be replicated on corporate away days. But it flicked a switch in Dubois and sparked the beginning of the end of Wardley's short reign.
Wardley's Gamble Fails
The Ipswich man had handpicked his fellow Brit for his first outing since being handed the WBO belt discarded by Oleksandr Usyk. And his gamble looked to have paid off when his right hand twice dumped Dubois on his backside. But with his cheeks still stinging, Dubois began to read Wardley's predictable lunges. He asserted his ram-rod jab and followed it up with his devastating right hand. Somehow Wardley's chin withstood the punishment; his already-crooked nose crimson with blood and his right eye almost closed shut. His dogged determination to stay on his feet coupled with Dubois' menacing onslaught produced one of the most brutally breathtaking heavyweight fights in history.
The Final Blow
The Ipswich fighter was twice checked by the ringside doctor but on both occasions he was cleared to continue. The fight should have been stopped earlier than the penultimate round when referee Howard Foster finally intervened. And as Dubois celebrated the start of his second spell as world champion, a battered Wardley simply gave his mum a thumbs up.
Dubois Reflects on Victory
"I had to dig deep," said Dubois. "As a warrior you have to go to dark places. I was a bit nervy to start with; I was all over the place and I had to come through my own inner battle. I needed that slap to wake me and to stay in reality. I had my dad and my people in my corner and I couldn't let them down."
"Fabio was a live dog and he came to fight. We were both in that weary state; it was a war and we gave everything we had. I had to pull it out the bag and use all of my skills. What a great fight, what a great battle, but I'm No.1 again."
Critics Answered
Unified champion Usyk may dispute that claim but in climbing off the canvas to win, Dubois has at least answered his critics. The Londoner has been branded a 'quitter' since he took a knee in his defeat by Joe Joyce six years ago. Wardley himself had suggested history would repeat itself in the Manchester ring. And for three rounds he looked set to be proved right - only for reality to slap him in the face.
