Fabio Wardley believes Daniel Dubois’ decision to take a knee in their first fight revealed a weakness he could exploit again, saying that he needed to inflict enough punishment to bring it out.
Wardley pointed to the third-round knockdown, when Dubois backed up before dropping to one knee after taking an overhand right. He viewed that sequence differently from the first knockdown, where he felt his punch connected more cleanly.
“He started to kind of back up and then chose to take a knee. It was just an overhand right. It was the same one I did in the first round,” said Wardley to DAZN.
That right hand gives Wardley something more concrete to work with than questions about Dubois’ heart. Dubois has a strong jab, but Wardley described using the overhand counter to make him think twice about throwing it.
“A way to take away someone’s jab is to let them know that a shot will be coming straight behind it,” Wardley said.
If Dubois hesitates with his jab, he could give Wardley more opportunities to close the distance. The challenge for Dubois is to keep using that weapon without leaving himself open to the same right hand. Abandoning it would make it harder to control where the fight takes place.
Wardley’s interpretation of the knee is more debatable. A hurt fighter can take a count to recover without wanting out of the contest. Wardley nevertheless believes there is a point at which Dubois can be persuaded to surrender.
“I just knew I needed to do enough to bring it out. But that still wasn’t enough for me. I still needed a bit more,” said Wardley.
The practical task is reproducing the punishment that led to that moment. Wardley has identified a punch that worked and a reaction he believes he can force again. Dubois needs an answer to the counter before he can prevent Wardley from testing that theory.