Fabio Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) says he’s ready to challenge Oleksander Usyk for his four heavyweight titles next, following his 11th-round technical knockout of Joseph Parker (36-4, 24 KOs) on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London.
(Credit: Queensberry/Leigh Dawney)
Wardley’s 24k Gold Breakthrough
Wardley came into the fight holding the WBA interim heavyweight title against WBO interim champion Parker. There were moments in rounds 1, 9, and 10 in which Wardley looked like he might not make it through. His punch resistance saved him, his fighting spirit, and the way he would gain energy when Parker would briefly put him in trouble.
That’s what turned the fight around for Wardley in the 10th round. He’d been hurt after eating a lot of shots from a flurry of punches from Parker. He came back to stun Parker late in the round. In the 11th, Wardley landed a crushing right to the head of Parker, causing him to back up against the ropes.
Referee’s Stop Sparks Parker Anger
After a weird back-and-forth exchange, Parker fell back against the ropes. Inexplicably, referee Howard Foster jumped in and stopped the fight. An angry-looking Parker shoved Foster in response, letting him know that he shouldn’t have stopped the fight. The time of the stoppage was at 1:54.
It looked like Wardley would have finished off Parker anyway. Wardley had that killer instinct, and it would have required him to gas out for Parker to survive. It didn’t look like that was going to happen. Wardley would have kept hitting him nonstop without the referee waving it off.
“I wasn’t hurt. I wasn’t buzzed. You saw the way I came into it in the second round,” said Fabio Wardley at the post-fight press conference following his win over Joseph Parker. “It was nothing shattering. It was nothing stunning. It didn’t take me by surprise at all,” said Wardley when asked about Parker’s power.
Wardley did look stunned late in the first round after getting clipped by a hard right hand from Parker. But he came back well in the second round, hurting Parker, and hitting him with a storm of shots. It was a miracle that the New Zealander made it out of the round.
Usyk Now in Wardley’s Crosshairs
“That’s been the objective and everything I wanted,” said Wardley about his thoughts on becoming mandatory for Oleksandr Usyk. “There’s nothing more I could ask for in this sport. When that bell goes, when me and Usyk do finally get in the ring, he’s going to have to work for it.”
Eight-Year Grind to Glory
It didn’t take Wardley too many years to lock himself in for a fight against Usyk. Fabio is an eight-year pro, and he didn’t start facing notable opposition until 2022. Since then, he’s moved quickly, beating Parker, Frazer Clarke, Justis Huni, David Adeleye, Michael Polite Coffie, and Nathan Gorman.
What was surprising tonight was that Parker gave Wardley fewer problems than his previous opponent, Justis Huni, did last June. Wardley’s situation was desperate against Huni, as he’d been outboxed for nine rounds before coming back to score a tenth-round knockout. Tonight. It was a closer fight, with Parker up by the scores 98-92, 96-94, and 95-95 going into round 11.
“I’d like to do it overseas. Bring his belts, let’s get this on,” said Wardley about Usyk.
Riyadh Season Awaits the Showdown
If Turki Alalshikh is involved, he’ll likely want to stage the Usyk vs. Wardley fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Assuming he does finance the fight, as he did the two Usyk vs. Tyson Fury clashes and the Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois rematch, placing the contest in Riyadh would seem like an obvious destination.
For the fans, they just want to see Wardley and Usyk fight, wherever. It’s going to be a much different type of fight for Oleksandr than the ones that he’s had thus far in the heavyweight division. As we witnessed tonight, Wardley is a combination puncher, and he doesn’t let up. He applies constant pressure, and you either try to match him or you get taken out.
It’s going to be interesting to see what strategy Usyk uses to neutralize Wardley’s offense, because he won’t be able to do it by meeting fire with fire. He doesn’t possess that type of power. Moreover, Wardley’s hand speed is too good, and he thrives on combination punching.