Fabio Wardley proved again last night in stopping (somewhat controversially, prematurely in the opinion of some folks) Joseph Parker, this in a great action battle, that he can never – ever – be written off in any fight, against any opponent. Wardley is a different kind of tough, and he is a different kind of dangerous for any man he steps into the ring with.
Powerful early, powerful late in a fight, it doesn’t matter; Wardley is there to fight for all 36-minutes, or less if he can help it, and he puts his opponents under immense pressure. Now, having earned his shot at unified, four-belt heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk, Wardley – who, we must remember, had no amateur career, save for some white collar fights – is defiantly telling us all he will fight Usyk anywhere.
Can Fabio Wardley Really Trouble Oleksandr Usyk?
Ideally, as he said when speaking with Sky Sports, Wardley would like to fight Usyk in the UK, in his hometown of Ipswich – in his own back garden if it came to it! And Wardley, quite unexpectedly, might just be the one heavyweight who can give Usyk some real problems in the ring. And maybe, if he does fight Usyk next, this when the supremely skilled Ukrainian will have turned 39, Wardley will be getting Usyk at just the right time.
“I haven’t sat down and dissected him yet, but that’s a job for next year,” Wardley said of world champ Usyk. “It’s a wild one when you piece it all up, but I’m the next one up. I’ve got broad shoulders so that’s fine by me, I’ll carry all the pressure. But I’m something different.”
Is Wardley’s Wild Style the Perfect Storm for Usyk?
Indeed, Wardley, 20-0-1(19) is something different for Usyk to cope with, to dissect, to use Fabio’s choice of words. Usyk likes to take a good look at an opponent in the early going of a fight, this as he downloads data on his challenger’s strengths and his weaknesses. But will Wardley give Usyk any time to do this? Wardley jumped on Parker fast, and he came close to getting himself a second-round stoppage win. Usyk is as tough as he is clever and gifted, but Wardley has shown, again, that he has wild-card style qualities, and he is, to repeat, an extremely dangerous fighter as a result.
I don’t know about you, but I think Usyk, as great as he is, might have a tough time of things when he fights Wardley.
“Tell Usyk to turn up. Give him the directions to Ipswich. I’ll give him my postcode, he can come find me in the garden, I don’t care,” Wardley said. “As long as he is there, bring the belts, let’s get this on!”
Some time in the first third of 2026: Usyk Vs. Parker. It’s a heck of a good, hard fight to look forward to.