'I'll knock out Parker and go after Usyk'

Fabio Wardley was a white-collar boxer with a fearsome punch — now he's aiming to beat the best of the best.

- By Matt Verri

Pyrotechnics are launched into the darkness of the Cardiff sky as Anthony Joshua milks every second of a four-minute ring walk. It is March 2018 and heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker is waiting in the ring on the biggest night of his life. There are 78,000 people in the stands for this undisputed showdown. As Michael Buffer announces, there are also millions watching around the world. One of those, 240 miles away at The Plough in Ipswich, is Fabio Wardley.

"I was sitting in a pub with my mates watching his fight against AJ," Wardley tells Standard Sport. "That was the first time I'd seen Parker. He was a world champion ten years ago. I was a couple of fights into a white-collar career. It's a funny one if I look at those things side by side, where I was and where he was. Now is not the time for reflection. After the job is done we can look back on what a crazy ride it's been."

The job continues on Saturday at the O2. Wardley will not be with his mates, drink in hand, but in the ring to take on Parker. The New Zealander is a better fighter now than when losing to Joshua and it is by Wardley's own admission the toughest test of his career. It comes with a big prize: the winner is expected to fight Oleksandr Usyk next.

The match-up

Just over 12 months ago, Wardley's career was at somewhat of a crossroads. Earlier in 2024, he had gone the distance in a bloody, bruising war with British rival Frazer Clarke. Wardley left the ring with his British, Commonwealth and European titles after a draw, but so too reminders of what he had endured.

The 30-year-old had bitten his tongue over 100 times and his nose was a complete mess. A jaw injury meant he had to live off noodles and ice cream for three days, unable to chew.