TEAM Wardley was quick to highlight that Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn, who promotes Justis Huni, was not present at today’s press conference.
Much has been made of the fact that Saturday evening will see another Queensberry vs Matchroom encounter, this time between Fabio Wardley and Huni, 12-0 (7 KOs), take centre stage.
Not only that, but the pair are now finalising the last couple days of their preparation before entering Portman Road – home of Ipswich Town Football Club – for a WBA ‘interim’ heavyweight title clash.
Regarding the promotional rivalry at play, meanwhile, Hearn was reminded last Sunday that it had been a year since his crushing 10-0 defeat to Frank Warren in their 5v5 showdown.
Naturally, the topic emerged once again at today’s media event, only for Hearn to not be in attendance for the friendly back-and-forth.
“Eddie’s not here, so I think that speaks volumes [regarding] his belief in his fighter,” Michael Ofo, a member of Team Wardley, opined.
“I know these guys talk about a perfect storm, but a storm brings nothing but destruction and pain – and that’s exactly what Fabio’s going to bring.”
Between the two fighters, there was a typically respectful dynamic, with Wardley, 18-0-1 (17 KOs), merely suggesting that his power could be the telling factor come fight night.
Along with that, the 30-year-old – who will boast a home advantage this weekend – expressed his belief that Huni, at least for their first few exchanges, could be on his bike.
“I do think he’s wary of me, so he won’t be trying to engage very early, or very often,” Wardley said. “But that’s just another area I can double down on.
“There’s only so long you can go running from me in a ring; you’re not going to be able to keep that up for 12 rounds.
“I will find you, I will hunt you down and you will have to stand in front of me and let your hands go, at one point or another.
“In that moment, that’s where I come out on top.”
Given his decorated amateur background, Huni conceded the point that he may look to utilise his technical prowess against Wardley, a former white-collar fighter.
In that same breath, however, the Australian insisted that he will not box with a negative approach – as some expect him to – but instead put on a more dynamic display.
“There definitely won’t be any running,” he claimed. “It’s just boxing; boxing smart. There won’t be any running around the ring from me, it’ll just be smart boxing.”
