UNBEATEN Aussie Justis Huni steps up to face Fabio Wardley on away soil this Saturday but is not seeking a firefight, instead hoping to outbox and outthink the Englishman.
Wardley, 18-0-1 (17 KOs), has been clamouring for a fight at Portman Road, home of his beloved Ipswich Town Football Club, ever since he claimed the British title in 2022 and he has finally gotten his wish, as he appears in the main event of the first post-war boxing card at the near 30,000 seater stadium.
Now, in his first outing since vacating the Lonsdale Belt, the Ipswich fan-favourite seeks to make an impression on the world stage – where he currently ranks as the #1 contender with the WBA.
Yet, after being originally scheduled to take on the loud-mouthed and perhaps more marketable, Jarrell Miller, an injury to the American has instead presented Huni, 12-0 (7 KOs), with the opportunity to spoil the party and announce himself as a threat to the heavyweight elite.
After accepting the fight on five weeks’ notice, Huni, who has been training at the SharpStyle Boxing Gym in Blackpool, told Boxing News that he must embrace what he anticipates will be a loud and hostile atmosphere.
“I know it is going to be loud. I know there is going to be a lot of people against me, but at the end of the day it’s only going to be myself and Fabio in that ring and we are going to handle our business.
“I feel like there is no ignoring [the fact that I’m in enemy territory]. It’s going to be loud and I know that. They’re all there to support their boy for his homecoming party.
“So, I think the thing for me is just to embrace it, soak it all up and just go out there and do my job.”
Wardley can ill-afford to overlook his new opponent, who claimed the bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships as an amateur and would have represented Australia at the 2020 Olympic Games if not for a hand injury.
This pedigree, compared to Wardley’s non-existent amateur background, makes the game plan for Huni a relatively obvious one. The 26-year-old confirmed that he has no intentions of being dragged into a war with the hard-hitting Brit.
“That is where he dominates, [in a tear-up],” Huni said. “It’s in those dog fights where it is 50/50 and someone else is standing there trying to give it back to him. So, 100% I would like to just use my boxing ability and just outbox this guy.
“There is not really any need for me to stand [and trade with him] and take the risk of getting caught by one of his big punches.
“I will definitely be looking at boxing smart and staying long.”
