WHAT A FIGHT: JODY MORRIS BEATS DAVID BENTLEY IN EPIC CHARITY THRILLER
Jody Morris beats David Bentley in a celebrity charity boxing match. The ex-Chelsea star won a judges' decision in a night of footballers' fights that raised money for good causes.
It was truly "A Night to Remember", as Stack had termed it. Before the event, he made it obvious that the fights that night would be "not about the result in the ring, but the results outside of it." However, his boxers did not appear to understand this, and they did not hold anything back.
From the opening bell, Bentley entered the ring and launched a barrage of powerful strikes, but Morris remained upright and retaliated. Despite being the smaller fighter, the former Chelsea player had the necessary technique to keep up, and he responded with shrewd body shots.
As Bentley waned, he seemed to gain a small advantage going into the final round and kept punching until the very end. The referee's raising of Morris' hand was not surprising, but the bout ultimately came down to the judges' verdict.
Morris remarked subsequently, "I have worked quite hard for the previous seven or eight weeks, and I am glad I did; otherwise, I would have been dead on my feet."
I did not want to become enmeshed in the event. I tried to use what little boxing equipment I had. In there, I felt fine. I did not mind moving forward after capturing a few images from Dave because I was happy with what I was getting.
"The Spurs have been trying for a long time, but the Chels always win. We have played both Arsenal and Spurs in one night, though, since Bentley is Arsenal as well.
"I believe I am better at promoting boxing than I am at boxing," Bentley continued. It is all about raising money for charity, which is why I wanted to step into the ring. Congratulations to Jody.
"Thank heavens I did not fall. No way would I have gotten back up!
Paddy Kenny, the former Sheffield United goalie, was knocked out seconds into a frantic first round, ending the night's first bout between him and Curtis Davies.
Leroy Lita and David Noble, two journeymen, engaged in a full-length fight that was equally chaotic. Noble was left bleeding after Lita, who entered with a little advantage due to his black taekwondo belt, won by unanimous decision.
Anthony Gardner, a seasoned Tottenham defender, also played the full distance alongside Lee Trundle, who was fast out of the gates but soon exhausted. Gardner prevailed by unanimous vote as a result of his careful strategy.
Marvin Elliott defeated Greg Halford late in the evening's penultimate fight. After the first two rounds, there was not much separating the two, but Elliott's attack in the middle of the third round made the judges' judgment simpler than it might have been.
With a £500,000 fundraising goal, the event supported four charities: Play Skill, Willow, Sport In Mind, and Helping Hands.
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
