The 31-year-old was stopped in the 11th round of a brutal war against Daniel Dubois Saturday at Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, losing his his WBO heavyweight title in the process.

Although his nose was busted and his right eye was swollen shut, Wardley informed the ringside physician on numerous occasions that he was fine to continue throughout the bloody affair. But after Dubois landed more crushing blows, referee Howard Foster saw enough in the penultimate round to step in to prevent further damage.

Wardley isn't happy with defeat but is proud of the brave performance he put up.

“My body failed me, but not my heart,” Wardley said on social media. “And that I can live with. Congratulations Daniel Dubois, thank you for a great fight worthy of the history books. Thank you to the city of Manchester and everyone that has been along on this journey with me.”

From the moment the opening bell rang, it was an all-out war. Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KOs) took control in the opening three minutes by scoring a knockdown. He then followed that up with another knockdown in the third.

His momentum, nevertheless, didn’t last long as Dubois’ relentless pressure and stiff jab began taking its toll on the former champion.

Ben Davison, Wardley’s trainer, admitted after the fight that it perhaps could've been stopped sooner.

May 9 will always be engraved in Wardley’s memory. Not just because it was the first time he tasted defeat, but also because it will likely go down as one of the great heavyweight fights of this generation.