Fabio Wardley says he’s aware that he’s not facing a “British-level” or “European-level” heavyweight in his fight against WBO interim heavyweight champion Joseph Parker on October 25 at the O2 Arena in London.
Wardley (19-0-1, 18 KOs) is aware of what he’s up against, fighting what he believes is the #2 or #3 fighter in the division behind undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) is at the top of his game at 33, and he may have too much experience for Wardley.
DAZN PPV Stakes on October 25
Parker-Wardley will be shown live on DAZN PPV on October 25, 2025. It’s priced at $59.99 in the U.S., and £25.99 in the UK [United Kingdom. The event starts at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Not a British-Level Fight
“I know this is not one of those British-level fights, even like European level,” said Fabio Wardley to talkSport Boxing about his fight with Joseph Parker on October 25. “I very much want to be at the top of the division and pick out the top names.”
Well, if things don’t work out for Wardley in this fight, he’ll have a good excuse for why he lost. He can blame it on his lack of experience for taking on a fighter of Parker’s class. Ideally, Wardley should have been stepped up against top-tier opposition several years ago rather than waiting until he’s 30 years old to give him his first real test.
Wardley’s Late Step-Up
That’s an advanced age for someone taking a step up for the first time. The question is, was Wardley assertive with his promoters all this time, or was he passively allowing them to steer his career in a painfully slow, time-wasting manner? Either way, what a waste for him to have stagnated for three to five years.
“I couldn’t get my hands on Usyk. Joseph Parker is the next best man in the division. He is #2, maybe #3 even. It depends on how you want to put things, but he is right up there,” said Wardley.
Yes, of course, Parker is “right up there” behind Usyk, if not in front of him. It’s too bad Wardley couldn’t get a proper step up against one of the top heavyweights that would get him more experience for this fight. One of these fighters would have been ideal preparation for Fabio:
- Frank Sanchez
- Richard Torrez Jr.
- Danier Pero
- Bakhodir Jalolov
The only problem with those guys is that Wardley might lose to all of them, as they’re a considerable step up from the likes of Justis Huni and the British-level fighters he’s built his 19-0 record on.
Fabrio says he wants to add the former WBO heavyweight champion Parker’s “scalp” to his resume, and he feels this would be a big deal. It would certainly give him some credibility before fighting for a world title or being elevated to WBA or WBO champion if Usyk vacates or is stripped.
Wardley notes that he has respect for Parker, but that will disappear when the first bell sounds on October 25. He’s going to be all business, doing what he’s got to do to get the victory. He’ll have no other choice.
Parker is going to be hitting him with some bombs in this fight just as he did in his fast second-round knockout of Martin Bakole on February 22nd, 2025.
Huni Scare as Wake-Up Call
Fabio states that he’s glad that he had to struggle in his last fight against Justis Huni on June 7, as it allowed him to “reevaluate” himself to make changes to his game to “adjust” for the Parker fight.
Wardley states that if not for what occurred against Huni, he wouldn’t have had the experience to assist him in preparing for Joseph. Fabio was behind 88-83, 89-82, and 89-82 at the time he scored a tenth-round knockout of Huni.
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