Joseph Parker vs. Fabio Wardley is now official for October 25, at the O2 Arena in London. The event labeled ‘All or Nothing ‘ will be shown on DAZN PPV.
Parker’s Edge in Experience
Parker (35-3, 24 KOs) will have his WBO interim heavyweight title on the line against the unbeaten WBA interim champion Wardley (19-0-1, 18 KOs). It’s a risky fight for both fighters, as they’re already in position to fight for the main title against undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk. A loss on October 25 will ruin things for one of them.
Parker, 33, has a massive advantage in experience over Wardley, 30, who has been fighting mostly at the British level during his eight-year professional career. There are only three years that separate the two fighters. So, age won’t play a factor in this fight.
Fans on social media view this fight as a mismatch in favor of Parker. The fans note that Wardley hasn’t fought any notable opposition during his career, and he had huge difficulties with his last opponent, Justis Huni, until knocking him out in the tenth round on June 7, 2025.
At the time of the stoppage, Huni was ahead on all three judges’ scorecards by the scores 88-83, 89-82, and 89-82. The way that Parker looked in his recent second-round knockout of Martin Bakole on February 22, 2025, Wardley will have problems surviving for long against him.
The View From The Fans
Fan Online Criticism of Wardley
- “Wardley’s out of his depth, Parker’s too skilled.”
- “Parker will school Wardley, no contest.”
- “Wardley’s getting exposed, Parker’s levels above.”
- Parker’s gonna KO Wardley, too easy.”
- “Wardley’s not ready, Parker’s a beast.”
- “Parker’s experience crushes Wardley’s hype.”
People would give Wardley more of a chance in this fight if he had more experience and had looked good in his most notable fights. He took a beating from Huni before knocking him out, and his face looked like a bloody mess in his first bout against Frazer Clarke in their 12-round draw on March 31, 2024.
“[Parker vs. Wardley] will shine a huge light on the division. Fights like this one are as good as it can get outside of the champion defending his belts and the sort we want to see happen,” said Queensberry promoter Frank Warren.
Neither Joe nor Fabio wanted to wait about and protect their positions, and credit to them both for this. I believe this is a genuine even-money fight.
“We promised to keep firing up this heavyweight division, and we intend to keep all the contenders jockeying for position.”
