Fabio Wardley was stopped by Daniel Dubois inside two rounds at the O2 on Saturday, five months after the first loss of his career to the same opponent. In May's heavyweight clash in Manchester, Wardley had dropped Dubois in the first 10 seconds and again in round three before Dubois rallied to stop him late.
On Saturday, a jackhammer right cross hurt Wardley in the opening 20 seconds, and he never truly recovered. More than once, Wardley tried to deter Dubois with a rear uppercut and was punished for it.
It was the same shot that cost Anthony Joshua in his beating by Dubois in 2024, when Ben Davison was in his corner, just as he was in Wardley's on Saturday. Andy Lee, one of Tyson Fury's coaches, was quick to call out the error on commentary for DAZN.
Fury vs Joshua is scheduled for 11 December and will pit Lee against Davison. The article noted that corner footage showed Davison calling on Joshua to utilise that uppercut against Dubois in 2024, but there is always the chance Wardley threw it instinctively or of his own volition on Saturday.
At the time of writing, Fury is a clear favourite over Joshua. The article suggested Davison might be the best coach for Joshua at this juncture, based on his insights as one of Fury's ex-coaches and the fine run of results Davison and Joshua achieved between 2023 and 2024.