Fabio Wardley's trainer Ben Davison has admitted the battered heavyweight's world title fight against Daniel Dubois "could have been stopped earlier" after the Ipswich fighter absorbed a punishing beating in Manchester on Saturday night.
Wardley had made a dream start at the Co-op Live Arena, flooring Dubois twice in the opening three rounds - including a stunning knockdown just 10 seconds into the contest.
However, the tide soon turned dramatically.
As the rounds wore on, Wardley was left bloodied and badly swollen, with his nose damaged and his face marked up as Dubois relentlessly marched forward.
Despite showing extraordinary courage and repeatedly firing back, Wardley was ultimately rescued by referee Howard Foster in the 11th round after taking sustained punishment.
The savage nature of the contest immediately sparked fierce debate, with many questioning why Wardley's corner had not thrown in the towel sooner.
Now Davison has conceded that ending the fight earlier would have been understandable, while defending the difficult decision made in the heat of battle.
"Firstly, congrats to Dubois. Two tremendous warriors in a modern-day classic. We are super proud of Fabio," Davison wrote on social media.
Fabio Wardley's trainer Ben Davison has admitted the battered heavyweight's world title fight against Daniel Dubois "could have been stopped earlier" after the Ipswich fighter absorbed a punishing beating in Manchester on Saturday night
|PA
"I actually agree the fight could have been stopped earlier.
"I did not see Fabio stumble before walking over to the doctor at the start of round 10.
"As ironically we were discussing with each other to 'have the towel in hand', by which time he had gone over and seen the doctor and seemed much steadier on his legs, which is what we saw."
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"It's such a difficult job to not only find a balance but to strike at the right time to stop a fight like that on a whim when your guy is responsive and firing back," he added.
"Two occasions we looked at it but: 1) the end of the round came; 2) Fabio fired back and killed Dubois' momentum.
"Again, very difficult in the circumstances of the fighter being responsive and firing back.
"I've seen mixed opinions on this one but I agree it could have been stopped earlier.
"However, with that said, I think Howard Foster got it bang on from his terms."
Daniel Dubois was ultimately too strong for Fabio Wardley on Saturday night
|PA
Davison's comments came after former world champion Barry McGuigan launched a scathing attack on Wardley's corner.
The respected Irishman warned that the brutal encounter could have lasting consequences for the 31-year-old.
"I don't believe Wardley will ever be the same fighter again," McGuigan wrote on X.
"The corner should have pulled him out at least three rounds before the stoppage.
"As corner men, your ultimate responsibility is to protect your fighter at all times."
He added: "The bottom line is the corner are culpable for allowing Wardley to take such a shocking beating. They were dreadful."