Wardley's Manager Sends Warning About "Dirty Dan"

Wardley's manager, Michael Ofo is fiercely protective of his client. His words are every bit as savage as Fabio's fists. He is not one to let a comment slide if it belittles Fabio in any way.

In the final press conference for Dubois v Wardley 2, Daniel's manager Riz Khan said Wardley had physically deteriorated as a result of the beating he took in the first fight. Fabio chose not to reply. But why would he bother when he has a pugnacious spokesman like Ofo sitting next to him? 

Ofo sneeringly asked Khan if he'd formed his judgement on Wardley's physical prowess by feeling up his muscles. Khan had no response to that.

Jokey barbs aside, Michael Ofo used the platform to attempt to draw attention to what he refers to as Dubois' dirty tactics. He hopes that by drawing attention to them, the referee for Saturday's contest will be stricter than Howard Foster was in their first encounter.

Ofo made particular reference to "the WWE rugby tackling" of Fabio in the opening minute of their first contest. Dubois had just been floored, and he used the takedown as a means of halting the action and breaking the Ipswich man's momentum. It was an extremely savvy move, but totally illegal.

I remember thinking at the time that this was a very bad sign for Fabio. Wardley had never been off his feet in a boxing ring, and to see him heavily decked like that - even though no punch had landed - seemed to damage his "invincible" aura.

I should also make the more prosaic observation that being knocked on the floor by a 250 pound man is extremely tiring.

And then there is Daniel's head. Similar to the great Evander Holyfield, Daniel's head is a third weapon along with his fists. Dubois used it with alarming frequency against Filip Hrgovic, and there are some who say that he headbutted his way to victory that night.

Fabio's nose carries scar tissue from previous battles, and Dubois' ramrod jab opened it up in their first contest, But the use of his head helped turn the stream of blood into a torrent.

So did Daniel win because of his dirty tricks? Probably not. He was the better man against both Hrgovic and Wardley. He used brilliant gliding movement to leave Fabio swinging hopelessly out of range, and then punished him with counters. 

But the dirty stuff helped him achieve physical dominance. For me, it left a stain on Dubois' victory.

Let's hope that the rematch is a good clean fight.