As fight fans know, British heavyweight rivals – see bad blood, brawling outside the ring rivals – Fabio Wardley and David Adeleye will clash on the Fury-Ngannou card in Saudi Arabia later this month. For some fans, the best match-up on the card, it has now been confirmed that the fight will contest the British title currently held by Wardley.
There was some talk that the fight, out of the realm of the British Boxing Board, would not contest the prestigious title, this coming as bad news to many. But now, rest assured, the belt will be very much at stake on October 28. Wardley, unbeaten at 16-0(15), won the vacant British title with an impressive stoppage win over Nathan Gorman, and against Adeleye, he will be making his maiden defense.
Adeleye, perfect at 12-0(11) and the younger man by two years at age 26, will be looking to rip the belt away from Wardley. The two rivals got into a pretty nasty scuffle/brawl at the recent pre-fight presser for Fury’s rumble (or walkover) with Ngannou, with Wardley coming off worse with a couple of facial cuts.
The two men have since locked into training, putting all they can into their work. Speaking with Sky Sports, Wardley said a points win is “never enough, especially when you’re a heavyweight.” To this end, Wardley is working on delivering a “highlight reel knockout” over Adeleye.
“It’s added a little bit more fuel to this fire, and in training sessions, I’m really biting down,” Wardley said of the brawl he got into with Adeleye. “Winning on points is never enough, especially when you’re a heavyweight. There’s a level of expectation that we are big boys, and when we get in there, people want a big performance. They want to see those highlight reel knockouts, and that’s always something that I’m looking to deliver. Whether it comes sooner or later, I’m always looking to finish in style.”
Rest assured, fellow puncher Adeleye is feeling the exact same way right about now. Again, this one could prove to be the fight of the night, and a fight-ending KO does seem very likely – but who will be the man scoring it?
Talk about a must-watch, 50-50 fight.