In a pulsating encounter in London, Fabio Wardley of Ipswich found a way to stop Kiwi Joseph Parker in the 11th round and in doing so positioned himself as Oleksandr Usyk’s next opponent for the Undisputed Heavyweight title. Wardley’s rise from the anonymity and peculiarities of White-Collar boxing to the cusp of such opportunity is both romantic in its appeal and astonishing in its reach.
He boxes in a way that both highlights his lack of Amateur experience and demonstrates strong, natural intuition and a sense he is empowered by liberation from any pursuit of technical excellence. The evidence of tough moments, spread across several of his recent fights at increasingly elevated levels, substantiates the idea that technical proficiency, while admirable, is not the sole arbiter on Fight Night. Wardley, in another of his erudite post-fight interviews, spoke of his resilience of spirit and aggressive style that cares little for prevailing convention and the reliability of his instinct and willingness to trade.
Wardley can just fight, he can scrap, brawl and slug – however the rounds unfold he isn’t discouraged. At some point, every opponent has had to trade punches to try and prevail, and in those moments Wardley excels. Only Parker’s vast experience and his own durability saved him being knocked out in the 2nd round when he spat out his mouthpiece to create opportunity for additional recuperation when under intense pressure.
A moment in the 10th, when Parker landed a sequence of unanswered blows himself; with good steam and 262 pounds travelling in carriage, demonstrated Wardley’s astonishing power of recovery too. He took full blooded hooks and right hands from a solid heavyweight with good skill and knockout form. Only fleetingly distressed and never off his feet, he was aided by the sage input of trainer Ben Davison in the hottest of those moments, Wardley demonstrating a Larry Holmes like ability to recover from big shots and remain dangerous himself.
Parker looked close to a significant breakthrough on several occasions but couldn’t quite land the telling fourth or fifth blow required to break Wardley’s apparently indefatigable spirit. The left hook on the inside, as Wardley dipped away to his own right, looked like the punch most likely to hurt the Suffolk man and it was thrown several times during the contest. In the 9th, a trio of these short hooks landed and were enough to win another round for Parker – this observer had it 6-3 to Parker at the end of round – and the gumption shown by Wardley in the 9th and the 10th was astonishing. Backed up by a chin that absorbs power shots like a tractor tyre being hit by a sledgehammer he straightened himself up and waved Parker forward.
The end came in the 11th, to some resistance from Parker, who was still cognisant of his surrounds but, crucially, not firing back. A cut on the eye had distracted him in the round and Wardley pounced. A sustained two-handed attack encouraged intervention from Howard Foster as the round drew to a close and Wardley had his improbable victory.
He slumped to the canvas himself and was smothered by his cornermen.
Now Oleksandr Usyk awaits. A man who will use speed, timing and guile to capitalise on the many opportunities Wardley’s remaining rawness provides. On the evidence of last night. Despite those obvious flaws, Usyk would be foolish to take the challenge lightly.
Parker deserves only applause for taking a risk when already positioned for a shot at Usyk and for providing such a punishing fight for the fans. He will return, a little of what he was chipped away by this fight, with plenty still to offer.
BOXINGWRITER.CO.UK 
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