Filip Hrgovic thinks Fabio Wardley should walk away from boxing.
Daniel Dubois stopped Wardley in the second round of their WBO heavyweight title rematch on Saturday at The O2 in London. Dubois dropped him with a right hand inside the first 20 seconds, and Wardley’s corner threw in the towel in the next round.
Hrgovic, the IBF heavyweight champion, was ringside. He gave his verdict in an interview with Boxing News.
I think he should retire. He didn’t look good; he made [a] bunch of money … he did miracle: he became world champion without amateur career.
He pointed to the punishment Wardley has absorbed.
He received a lot of damage in his last five [to] six fights, and he should retire and enjoy [his life].
Hrgovic did not think Dubois did anything out of the ordinary.
Daniel Dubois start normal, with the jab. He didn’t do anything special. Wardley just wasn’t in a [good] place from the beginning.
Wardley, 31, had no amateur career and only four white-collar bouts before turning pro. He was elevated to WBO champion in November 2025 and lost the title to Dubois by 11th-round stoppage in May. He is now 20-2-1.
Hrgovic won the vacant IBF title by stopping Moses Itauma in August. Dubois said after Saturday’s win that he wants a rematch with Hrgovic, whom he stopped in 2024.
