Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois & Jack Rafferty vs. Ekow Essuman + David Morrell vs. Zak Chelli RBR.

Wasn't that the crappy regular though?

 

100%. This fight helped both guys. Dubois more. But people will be behind Wardley now. He is a brave fighter for sure.

 

Well yeah, it still counts however. I am annoyed that people are ignoring that.

 

That was is only chance at coming back at that point to be honest and ref spoiled it

 

Personally I don't count it

The whole Charr stench around that belt gives it even less importance

 

To be fair to Dubois, taking a knee for the second one was a very smart move. It saved him from losing.

The knockdowns were because that punch kept landing on a weird place. It's probably why Frazier Clarke got a dent in his head because Wardley's crude punches land in places where the head isn't conditioned.

 

Great round by round posts. Thanks guys. Can't wait to watch it later.

 

I want to see a rematch, but it would've benefited Wardley to lose by RTD before the 8th round.

 

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Surprised that nobody mentioned that Usyk's resume has received another boost.

 

The win deservedly goes to Dubois and he deserves all the plaudits, he proved many wrong.

But likewise Mr Wardley deserves respect for his toughness and warrior spirit, he definitely is the toughest recruitment consultant on the planet.

Hoping Fabio has no long term damage

 

Dubois did well here, but jeez I can't stand him as a fighter. His dirtiness here wasn't nearly as overt as against Hrgovic (probably because he's against another Brit this time) but it was still there. The occasional headbutt, the constant rubbing of his gloves and elbow into Wardleys face. It's particularly annoying because it wasn't necessary. Dubois was beating him anyways but still felt the need to resort to those tactics. They're talking about a Moses Itauma fight next and that's a fight where I think he'll probably lose to be honest. I think because of how stiff and square he is he struggles to adjust to that stance. Jab less effective, his straight right doesn't have as much range, he can't cut the ring as effectively against them. Itauma isn't as skilled as Usyk but I think he can do a similar job to what Usyk did to Dubois if his stamina and durability can hold up. Hands too fast, too dynamic and good a counter puncher, Shot for shot probably carries more power than Usyk. Other than Itauma I'd like to see Dubois against Kabayel or maybe Zhang. Kabayel would be an interesting 50/50, Zhang would be more like a 70-30 for Dubois because of Zhangs age and inactivity.

Credit to Wardley. To even become a champion with his lack of experience was a major achievement. The fact that Dubois couldn't get him down despite landing hellacious shots on him all night is a testament to his heart and durability.

His inexperience I think finally caught up with him this fight though. The amateurish defensive mistakes he's always made were taken advantage of and he he simply didn't have much else other than the overhand to trouble Dubois and once Dubois adjusted to that, Wardley was missing wildly, wasting energy and getting countered.

Although I respect Ben Davison as a trainer, this is an issue that Joshua also had against Dubois when under him. Tried for the right hand over the top and when that didn't work seemed out of ideas. And Joshua was a guy who had previously shown a full arsenal of offensive weapons, but against Dubois he was reduced to a right hand merchant. If they do activate a rematch clause (they really shouldn't) Wardley and his team will need to try and seriously expand on his offensive repertoire. Atleast teach him to set the shots up better. He's definitely gonna need some time out to recover though. I'd say he should take a break, come back against a light touch or two and then see what the heavyweight landscape is looking like by that point.

 

The balanced and incisive take on this all. A fabulous fight but one that went on for far too long.

 

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