Fabio Wardley immediately suspended from boxing after Daniel Dubois fight
Daniel Dubois has retained his World Boxing Organizaton (WBO) heavyweight title after defeating Fabio Wardley last night (17 October).
He floored his opponent with a straight inside the opening 20 seconds of their rematch at London's O2 Arena before his corner threw in the towel in the second round.
And now not only has Wardley lost to Dubois twice this year, but he also now faces an immediate medical suspension from fighting - a regular routine in boxing.
When the 29-year-old took the WBO heavyweight title from him back on 9 May, Wardley, 31, succumbed to an 11th round finish after dropping Dubois twice early on.
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But the now reigning champ didn't quite give him that this time, letting out a relentless assault for this rematch.
"I have always thrown myself in with the best competitors out there, the best in the business, the biggest, hardest, meanest guys around so, there is no shame in a loss when you're testing yourself against the best," Wardley said after the fight.
His medical suspension was automatic and immediate, with the match having been finished via TKO by referee stoppage.
But it's important to remember that this isn't some kind of punishment for the British boxer but simply a health measure.
These medical suspensions are a routine part of the sport and are put in place to ensure fighters have proper recovery time before they step back into the ring. They're usually put in place for boxers who have suffered an injury in the ring or who have lost via knockout, but they're also enforced as a standard concussion protocol.
Suspensions can be enforced for different durations with different conditions depending on the details and which governing body oversaw the bout.
Here in the UK, fights that are sanctioned under the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) tend to result in 28 or 45 days suspensions after a knockout or stoppage. But the ringside senior medical officer can choose to impose a longer suspension if needed.
During this time, the boxer can't compete under any circumstances and sparring is typically banned.
After the fight, Dubois said: "Fabio is a great boy, coming in for the second time, but it was my time and my era. I had my intentions, bad intentions from the beginning.
"My back was against the wall the first time, this time we just had to go out there and show that we mean business, which is what we did tonight."
Topics: Boxing
Jess Battison