KO\u2019d Huni in June via that now infamous right hand bomb<\/a>. <\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1760997672_565_poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it looks like I\u2019m picking your guys out and attacking them,\u201d he continues.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut honestly, it\u2019s not at the case at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just that you guys down there are producing such great heavyweights.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if I beat Joseph Parker, the number two, maybe number three heavyweight in the world \u2013 however you want to look at it \u2013 there\u2019s not really much left to be said.\u201d<\/p>\n
Only four months after icing Huni \u2013 aka Australia\u2019s No.1 heavyweight \u2013 with a devastating right, 30-year-old Wardley is now looking to double down against that greatest of New Zealand\u2019s big men.<\/p>\n
And should the undefeated Englishman upset Parker, a former world champion who now sits on the cusp of a surprise second reign, and inside what will be a heaving 02 Arena in London this Sunday, he then wants straight into a bout with undisputed division king Oleksandr Usyk.<\/p>\n
And from there? <\/p>\n
Well, Opetaia isn\u2019t out of the question, either.<\/p>\n
Which again, would be some run.<\/p>\n
Speaking with Fox Sports Australia this week, Wardley has also revealed how it was the slightest Huni error \u2013 a \u201chop\u201d, in fact \u2013 which started this whole thing.<\/p>\n
That, and effectively provided him the motivation to then go straight into the huge challenge that is interim WBO champ Parker.<\/p>\n
IPSWICH, ENGLAND – JUNE 07: Referee John Latham counts down Justis Huni after being knocked down by Fabio Wardley which subsequently ended the bout during their heavyweight fight the ‘Running Towards Adversity’ Queensberry Promotions card at Portman Road on June 07, 2025 in Ipswich, England. (Photo by Richard Pelham\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Understanding how back in June, when throwing down against Huni for the interim WBA heavyweight strap, this hulking Brit entered the tenth well behind on the scorecards when \u2026 thwack.<\/p>\n
He denoted a bomb which changed the fight, and plenty more.<\/p>\n
Apart from declaring himself a much stronger chance now against Parker than his $3.80 TAB odds suggest, Wardley has also responded to the Kiwi\u2019s repeated suggestions about boxing being all about levels \u2013 which is another way of suggesting this newest of UK title contenders isn\u2019t at his.<\/p>\n
So as for Wardley\u2019s response?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea of there being levels to this sport,\u201d he replied, \u201cisn\u2019t something I disagree with.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t just run around saying \u2018I\u2019m top five in the world, I\u2019m the next world champion, whatever\u2019. You can\u2019t only say it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt some point in this game, you have to prove it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s exactly what I\u2019m looking to do in this fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s why [Parker] is the one I\u2019ve chosen in that sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been going for a while now saying I believe I\u2019m at that top level, I should be mixing with those top fighters.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what\u2019s been missing is a competitive fight with one of those guys.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is the best of the lot I can pick \u2026. so that\u2019s the one I can go for.\u201d<\/p>\n
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 09: Fabio Wardley and Joseph Parker go head to head as promoter Frank Warren looks on during a press conference ahead of their heavyweight fight on the \u2018All of Nothing\u2019 Queensbury fight card at Glaziers Hall on September 09, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by James Fearn\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Which, again, goes back to his most recent performance against Huni.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile there were a few different names to choose from,\u201d Wardley continued of where things could go after beating the Australian, \u201cwe quickly landed on Parker.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne, because of his position with the WBO, being next in line for Usyk.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut also coming off the back of that Huni fight \u2013 and how well Justis boxed \u2013 it\u2019s obviously put question marks around me, my abilities and skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I\u2019ve thought \u2018right, I have a point to prove here, I have to take on a top level competitor\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd don\u2019t get me wrong, with some of the other names I could\u2019ve picked, I\u2019m not saying I wouldn\u2019t have got credit with those wins.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there still would\u2019ve been question marks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis fight though, it removes all question marks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Which undeniably, could see you put another whopping dent into heavyweight boxing on our side of the planet, right?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the only reservation I had about taking this fight,\u201d Wardley jokes, smile widening again. \u201cLike I\u2019ve got this vendetta on your side of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Opetaia, meanwhile, Wardley said that while he has already seen plenty of his cruiserweight successes, and even interviewed him during a fight week in Saudi Arabia, he hasn\u2019t given much thought of him as a rival \u2013 yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I know Jai\u2019s flirted with the idea of moving up,\u201d Wardley said. \u201cAnd when he does, that\u2019s when he\u2019ll ping on my radar.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve already watched a number of his fights, and have even interviewed him previously, when I had a broadcasting role on one of the Saudi shows<\/p>\n
\u201cJai\u2019s a really entertaining fighter and he\u2019s clearly a massive danger at cruiserweight.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd stepping up to heavyweight, I can\u2019t see how he isn\u2019t a hard night\u2019s work for a bunch of people in this division.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Wardley spoke of facing Usyk, too.<\/p>\n
That undisputed heavyweight champ who, just quietly, he knows more than a little about — given back in 2018, he jetted into Ukraine for what would eventually be two stints sparring the man for whom he becomes mandatory with a win next up.<\/p>\n
Britain’s Fabio Wardley celebrates winning his fight against Australia’s Justis Huni, during their interim WBA heavyweight title boxing match at Portman Road Stadium, in Ipswich, England, Saturday, June 7, 2025. (Steven Paston\/PA via AP)Source: AP<\/p>\n
Indeed, despite whispers suggesting Usyk could vacate the WBO strap rather than face whoever wins Sunday\u2019s interim crown \u2013 currently held by Parker \u2013 the Englishman himself can\u2019t see it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat Usyk does will be a question for him,\u201d the fighter started. \u201cBut whether he wants to [fight me] or not will be null and void.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been mandated by the WBO that the winner of this fight will face him. So going forward he has to fight the winner of this fight, it\u2019s not about whether he feels up to it or not \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
So as for talk of him potentially vacating to instead take a lucrative bout against, say, a Tyson Fury trilogy?<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see Usyk as that kind of guy,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I know him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve spent a good amount of time with the guy, have a good relationship with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd from what I know of him, I don\u2019t see him as someone to shy away from a challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a man focused on legacy, and stacking wins on top of each other for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unthinkable not so long ago, when Wardley\u2019s fight pedigree extended no further than a couple of corporate fight nights, this fella boasting British, Commonwealth and European titles now stands on the cusp of Next Big Thing status.<\/p>\n
Sure, he may be an almost $4 outsider for Sunday\u2019s showdown against Parker — that interim champ who is himself on the type of tear that reads Deontay Wilder, Big Bang Zhang and, most recently, the finish of no less than Martin Bakole within two rounds.<\/p>\n
But remember it was only four months ago against Huni when Wardley seemed not simply down, but gone, as Australia\u2019s great heavyweight hope was boxing his way to what seemed a lopsided decision upset.<\/p>\n
Parker vs Wardley | SUNDAY 26 OCT 4AM AEDT | A classic heavyweight showdown takes place at the 02 Arena in London, as NZ\u2019s Joseph Parker takes on Fabio Wardley. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.<\/a><\/p>\nJoseph Parker and Jai Opetaia are both on Fabio Wardley\u2019s hit list.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Then, thwack.<\/p>\n
Into the tenth, and deader than disco, Wardley let fire with a brutal right hand.<\/p>\n
Asked what Huni had done to create said opening, Wardley continued: \u201cOverall, not a lot.<\/p>\n
\u201cJustis is one hell of a fighter and was boxing really well, piecing things together nicely.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it was about round seven, round eight, where as a team, we just adjusted the game plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d been trying to hunt him down quite a bit. Chase him and put the pressure on.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we swapped that to backing up a bit and drawing him into space.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it worked.<\/p>\n
\u201cJustis was feeling the momentum of the fight going his way, he was picking up rounds, boxing well \u2026 it can be a gift and a curse in a sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Huh?<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause when you\u2019re giving extra momentum to yourself,\u201d Wardley continued, \u201cwhen you\u2019re telling yourself \u2018you know what? I\u2019m you\u2019re doing well here, picking up the pace, kicking on\u2019, sometimes you can do too much.<\/p>\n
\u201cTry too hard to get that extra work off.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was backing up, backing up, drawing Justis in.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I tested a punch, and looked at his reaction.<\/p>\n
\u201cSoon after, same again.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I thought \u2018next one I\u2019m going for it \u2026\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked for specifics, Wardley continued: \u201cI was throwing a lot of body jabs and Justis would take the jab, then do a little hop in to make up the space.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I threw a jab, he took it, hopped in and got a couple of shots off.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we had a little reset moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I circled around again, threw a body jab which hit, and I knew he\u2019d probably swallow that in and try to counter me straight away.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why I turned the right hand over as he was doing that little gallop in to make up the space.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I caught him on the way in. Caught him with that shot and got him out of there \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Justis Huni, Joseph Parker, Jai Opetaia \u2026 it\u2019s a fair hit list. And one new British boxing sensation…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228898,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[1724,64,63,689,75772,802,17928,138276,138278,138286,130093,138280,138287,11301,1208,2057,110098,138285,138289,138284,28427,2105,52498,122344,18339,138281,17734,2022,138279,1736,2782,11876,3583,677,7704,3509,138277,16747,138291,138288,14640,85,138282,43345,15702,138290,5525,138283,3586,12000,2753],"class_list":["post-228897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-fight-fans","tag-boxing","tag-boxing-match","tag-british-boxing-sensation","tag-broadcasting-role","tag-car-accidentboxing","tag-classic-heavyweight-showdown","tag-corporate-fight-nights","tag-cruiserweight-successes","tag-eastern-europe","tag-england","tag-europe","tag-fabio-wardley","tag-fair-hit-list","tag-fella-boasting-british","tag-fight-pedigree","tag-frank-warren","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-heavyweight-fight","tag-hit-list","tag-james-fearn","tag-john-latham","tag-joseph-parker","tag-london","tag-lopsided-decision-upset","tag-new-zealand","tag-nick-walshaw","tag-nikita-tszyu","tag-northern-europe","tag-oceania","tag-oleksandr-usyk","tag-question-marks","tag-reset-moment","tag-richard-pelham","tag-right-hand","tag-right-hand-bomb","tag-saudi-arabia","tag-sports","tag-steven-paston","tag-title-contenders","tag-top-level","tag-top-level-competitor","tag-ukraine","tag-undisputed-heavyweight-champ","tag-united-kingdom","tag-western-asia","tag-world-champion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228897\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}