Fabio Wardley: Beyond The Ropes
Fabio Wardley has achieved much, if not all, of his unlikely success on his unshakable self-belief. A firm conviction that no matter how hard it gets inside a boxing ring, he will find what he needs to pull off a remarkable victory. Even in that incredibly brutal first fight with Daniel Dubois just five months ago, Wardley always thought he was one right hand away from victory.
But on Saturday night at the O2 Arena, perhaps for the first time, the 31-year-old made the ring walk with doubt in his mind. Wardley probably thought his mind was still invincible. The chin still impregnable. Logic had always defied him previously. A handful of white-collar fights. No amateur experience. But Wardley had risen through the ranks to become the WBO heavyweight champion of the world. The odds were firmly stacked against him. But he always found a way. But that savage war that Wardley went through with Dubois the first time around had taken away so much from Wardley. Pre-fight, we just didn’t know how much. Now we do. Fabio Wardley certainly knows now.
Wardley was probably in denial. He said accepting the rematch wasn’t so soon wasn’t a mistake. It clearly was. You can’t possibly recover from such a beating so quickly. Physically or mentally. Comments that the severe amount of damage he took in May was more cosmetic than anything too serious. Fighters always lie to themselves. They don’t always know when they’re lying. It’s that self-belief again. There’s always an excuse for a defeat. Wardley would have found many over the passing of time. But to be fair to Wardley, even he wouldn’t have known what was taken from him courtesy of those powerful fists of Daniel Dubois. It took just 17 seconds for reality to hit home.
Dubois finished the job in the second round. A devastatingly powerful display full of growing maturity. Wardley was a wounded animal. Ready to be taken. But Dubois still went about his work with some degree of caution. Wardley had one chance. Dubois wouldn’t give it to him.
When that brutal Dubois right hand landed flush in the opening seconds of their much-anticipated rematch, Wardley went down for the first time in his career. Any pre-fight confidence would have been shattered at that precise moment. Any hopes of revenge probably ended right there also. That self-belief drained away from his mind. A realisation that boxing had finally caught up with him. It’s been one hell of a ride. But it’s time for Wardley to get off at this stop, and think about the rest of his life. He won’t. But he should. Wardley has indicated that he will indeed fight on. An inevitable conclusion that fighters always reach.
I do think those closest to Fabio Wardley should have honest conversations with him. There is still money to be made. The heavyweight division isn’t short of lucrative options. But the damage he has already accumulated will only mount up. Frazer Clarke, Justis Huni, Joseph Parker, and now Daniel Dubois have all left their mark on Wardley. Maybe the body is already telling him enough is enough. The quick finish on Saturday was a divine act of mercy. The Wardley body didn’t need to go through what it endured in Manchester just five months ago. Wardley was saved from that kind of repeat sustained beating. But he should heed the clear warning signs. Get out while you can.
Photo Credit: Queensberry Promotions
