FABIO WARDLEY remains well aware that he is capable of generating enough power to take down any man, and perhaps even a horse, with his fists alone.
If a young Roberto Duran could do it – knock out a horse, that is – then why should a towering heavyweight, his frame built solely for destruction, not be able to orchestrate a similar outcome?
Wardley, 19-0-1 (18 KOs), has, after all, already proven that he can punch through another man’s cheekbone; the very sound of that crack, which became audible as soon as his glove crashed into the side of Frazer Clarke’s head, suggesting that this is no ordinary bloke.
No longer are people referring to the Ipswich man as merely a white-collar fighter but, instead, they are beginning to realise that maybe – just maybe – he is something a little more special.
Clearly, he possesses a special kind of talent; the kind that allows him to turn a fight on its head in the blink of an eye.
That much became evident in his outing against Justis Huni last June, when Wardley, down on the scorecards, pulled a rabbit out of the hat and sent his man crashing to the canvas.
The finish, indeed, was spectacular. But at the same time, Wardley was the first to admit that, prior to securing the 10th-round stoppage victory, his performance was hardly akin to that of a genuine world title contender.
In that same breath, the 30-year-old stressed that he is still an improving fighter, and with ample time to develop his craft at the Ben Davison Performance Centre, he promised to return to the squared circle as a far more complete package.
But now, with a career-toughest test against Joseph Parker this Saturday, has he truly had enough time to fully iron out those technical flaws in his game?
“I’ve never turned a fight down, no matter the competitor, no matter the level, no matter the stage I was at,” says Wardley. “I’ve always pushed myself and strived for more, so this is just another example of that.
“We’ve had a good little window of time to work on some finer details. The Justis Huni fight, for all intents and purposes, wasn’t the best night.
“I got the win in the end – pulled it out of the bag – and that’s a great quality to have, but there are details in my game that we need to improve on, which is something I’m very much aware of.
“It sounds kind of weird to say, but I’m still learning on the job. I’ve had 24 boxing contests [including white-collar and professional] in my life, whereas Joseph Parker has had 40 professional fights and then however many amateur [fights].
“I’m still figuring things out but, by my own admission, maybe not doing too bad.”
Indeed, he is certainly not doing too bad, but will the version of Wardley that stopped Huni in his tracks be enough to compete with the skilful, experienced and typically durable Parker, 36-3 (24 KOs)?
That much remains to be seen, but the truth is that, whoever Wardley comes up against, there is likely to be no small amount of drama when he steps through the ropes.
As for him taking on Parker, it may seem like a particularly bold move from an outside perspective, especially with the New Zealander being the crafty operator that he is.
But then, when you look at the mess that Wardley, the WBA ‘interim’ champion, had previously encountered – with the WBA now facilitating a matchup between Kubrat Pulev and Murat Gassiev for its ‘regular’ title – it is perhaps unsurprising that the Englishman has opted for a more tangible route towards world honours.
This way, if Wardley claims Parker’s WBO ‘interim’ belt, he will at least afford himself an almost guaranteed shot at Oleksandr Usyk next year.
“We were both planning on going in different routes, but eventually ran into stumbling blocks with our respective [sanctioning bodies],” the knockout artist explained.
“You’ve got to give credit to us both for not sitting still and waiting for those problems to resolve themselves. We’re forcing things to move along, and forcing our way to the front of the pack.
“He [Parker] could’ve taken an easier fight. His [WBO] mandatory shot is first on the list, so he could’ve sat, maybe waited, or he could’ve just taken on someone nice and easy before fighting Oleksandr Usyk in the new year.
“But credit to him for wanting to take on a challenge.”
As for Wardley, he has never been one to shy away from a formidable assignment, either.
“For me, I’m not one to sit still and stay stagnant, no matter what’s going on around me,” he continued. “I feel like there’s always another avenue, there’s always another angle, and that’s very much something me and the team discussed.
“If things aren’t moving in the way we had initially planned, it’s about looking at how we can pivot. What’s the next best option? In this case, it was Joseph Parker.”
Whatever the outcome at the O2 Arena, London, this weekend, Wardley has already exceeded the majority of expectations and, based on that fact, is likely to keep proving his detractors wrong, one way or another.
