Olympic super-heavyweight champion Audley Harrison says Fabio Wardley should take more time to prepare before exercising his rematch clause with Daniel Dubois. Wardley rocked Dubois twice during their brutal heavyweight contest but ultimately lost his WBO title when the referee stopped the fight in the 11th round after Wardley was badly hurt; he never went down but was visibly compromised.
Harrison believes the stoppage should have come earlier. ‘It was one round too much, in my opinion,’ he told Sky Sports News, arguing that Wardley had ‘nothing left’ and that officials must make the right decision for a fighter’s safety. Despite that view, Harrison expects Wardley to trigger the rematch clause, noting how difficult it is in boxing to turn down the opportunity and financial incentive of an immediate rematch.
He urged Team Wardley, including trainer Ben Davison, to ‘go back to the drawing board’ and fix technical issues before meeting Dubois again. Harrison pointed out Wardley’s rapid rise from white-collar boxing as remarkable, but said that now the team must address fundamentals to be more competitive next time.
Harrison credited Dubois’ improvement during the fight, saying Dubois began to use basic boxing fundamentals from around the fifth or sixth round and that technique ultimately separated the two. Dubois’ disciplined approach and boxing base, Harrison says, made the difference in the latter stages and helped him become a two-time world champion.
While the rematch seems likely because of the typical pressures and rewards in boxing, Harrison’s message is clear: Wardley should rebuild, correct the weaknesses exposed by Dubois, and only then return for another shot.