FABIO Wardley vs Justis Huni offers proof, if nothing else, that the boxing gods will occasionally orchestrate a favourable outcome.
Rather than allowing Jarrell Miller, a prolific drug cheat, to step through the ropes this Saturday, boxing’s higher powers – known for working in mysterious ways – have provided us with a far more credible replacement.
More than anything, it should be celebrated – even if just with a small hurrah – that, in a sport where characters like Miller are so often welcomed back with open arms, unbeaten heavyweight contender Huni, 12-0 (7 KOs), who at least boasts a squeaky-clean record, has been presented with a potentially life-changing opportunity.
Indeed, the 26-year-old is undoubtedly looking to make a gargantuan splash, sending ripples across the already turbulent heavyweight landscape.
But in order to do so, Huni must first produce a career-best performance at Portman Road – home of Ipswich Town Football Club – while also claiming the vacant WBA interim title, everyone’s favourite belt, in the process.
Only this time around, the black and gold trinket on offer is not completely meaningless.
In fact, whoever emerges with the strap this weekend is then likely to face the winner of Kubrat Pulev vs Michael Hunter, a somewhat intriguing matchup to determine the WBA ‘regular’ – or rather, B-tier – heavyweight champion.
The stakes, therefore, are tremendously high, not least because of what may come next.
But regarding the fight itself, it could be argued that Huni, though a far more technically proficient operator, poses less of a challenge for Wardley, 18-0-1 (17 KOs), than Miller.
For all his limitations, ‘Big Baby’ represents a terrifically durable customer, his humungous frame almost expertly designed to absorb punishment.
In that encounter, Wardley’s destructive power, and indeed his engine, would have been firmly put to the test, most likely in a battle of attrition where, without even a brief window of respite, fans may have been treated to a more absorbing affair.
Against Huni, meanwhile, the less physically demanding nature of his assignment could play into the 30-year-old’s hands.
It is widely expected that, at least for the first few rounds, Wardley will struggle to pin his man down.
Huni does, after all, possess a tidy pair of feet to compliment his combination punching, fluid enough to present his opponent with a series of fiddly obstacles.
But along with that, the Australian revealed several signs of vulnerability in last year’s clash against Kevin Lerena, often leaving himself open to a sequence of dynamic attacks at mid-range.
Based on that performance, then, it could be said that Wardley – who, let’s face it, punches with far more authority than Lerena – is less likely to let his opponent off the hook.
Regardless of however long it takes, one can only suspect that Wardley will eventually stab Huni with a meaningful shot.
And sure enough, as soon as that time arrives, the natural finishing instinct of the former white-collar fighter is then likely to be exploited, quite possibly to such an extent that proceedings are halted, in typically ruthless fashion, during the middle rounds.
