Wardley's wild ride is out of this world

EVEN Fabio Wardley had given up trying to make sense of the absurdity of his boxing career.

- BY MARTIN DOMIN

It had gone midnight when he attempted to explain how, less than an hour earlier, he had found a way to defeat Joseph Parker.

And how a former recruitment consultant with no amateur experience could soon be crowned the planet's best heavyweight.

Wardley, by now draped in an Ipswich scarf and hiding his battle scars behind a pair of shades, had been here before.

Four months ago he looked to have met his match when he lost almost every minute of nine completed rounds against Justis Huni. But a right hand from nowhere flattened his rival and kept alive his hopes of a fairy-tale ending to his remarkable career.

Few expected him to repeat the trick against Parker.

The Kiwi had long been considered the second-best active heavyweight in the world behind Oleksandr Usyk (right) and was already guaranteed a shot at the Ukrainian.