Ben Davison, the trainer of Fabio Wardley, has conceded that the heavyweight showdown with Daniel Dubois could have been halted earlier than the eventual 11th-round stoppage. The bout, widely hailed as a modern classic and a potential Fight of the Year contender, continued to divide opinion long after the final bell.
The stoppage remains the central point of debate. Referee Howard Foster ended the contest in the 11th round after Wardley failed to respond to Dubois’ heavy shots. While many accepted the call, others believed that Wardley’s corner should have intervened sooner given the champion’s growing vulnerability. That criticism prompted Davison to clarify his perspective.
“I actually agree the fight could have been stopped earlier,” Davison wrote on his Instagram story. “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 explained that timing a stoppage is one of the hardest calls in boxing, especially when a fighter remains responsive and continues to fire back under pressure. He referenced past situations to illustrate the fine margins involved, recalling how he was praised for not throwing in the towel when cornering Tyson Fury during the first Wilder fight. He also noted his decision to let Leigh Wood continue against Michael Conlan in 2022, a call widely accepted in hindsight. In Wood’s earlier fight against Mauricio Lara, similar questions were raised, though many later agreed the stoppage to protect Wood was correct.
Looking back at the Wardley-Dubois fight, Davison explained his thought process as the rounds progressed.
“Two 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.
Ultimately, Davison acknowledged that the bout “could” have been stopped earlier and agreed with referee Howard Foster’s final intervention.
The aftermath saw a strong reaction after Daniel Dubois was crowned the new WBO heavyweight champion, with the timing of the stoppage becoming the main talking point. Retired fighter Darren Barker felt the bout should have been halted earlier, particularly when Wardley rose unsteadily at the start of round 10. Davison pushed back against outside criticism, targeting “a few so-called ‘coaches’ better described as ‘pundits,’” while praising Wardley’s effort in the ring.
