Fight of the week sees the long awaited return of the heavyweights. The scene has lay dormant since July.
This Saturday (25th) in a Queensberry promotion at London’s O2 Arena mandatory world title contender Joseph Parker returns to the ring against recent British champion Fabio Wardley.
It’s a potential crossroads fight which promises much and looks to have real world significance with unified champion and undoubted #1 Oleksandr Usyk currently in enforced inactivity whilst recovering from injury. The Ukrainian has recently announced he will fight next in 2026. Meanwhile the contenders have to remain active and get in line.
New Zealand’s Parker (36-3-0, 24 KOs) is mandatory contender for Usyk’s WBO title and been waiting for a third tilt at a world belt having lost his former title to Anthony Joshua in March 2018. He’s essentially the ‘gatekeeper’ for any world title challenge. Inactivity may be his problem despite holding notable victories over Andy Ruiz, Derek Chisora, Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang.
Wardley (19-0-1,18 KOs), the younger of the two at 30 compared to Parker’s 33, is fortunate to get this opportunity having been on track to be soundly outpointed by Australia’s Justis Huni in June before detonating a right hand in the final round to emphatically turn it his way. The KO remains one of the knockouts of the year and is sure to be in The Ring magazine’s final three come February.
That turnaround has given Wardley his big opportunity with Parker.
The man from Ipswich, England is sure to have big vocal backing within the 20,000 indoor arena on the south bank of the Thames.
The undercard is still work in progress after the injury and withdrawal of British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion Lewis Edmondson in the last 24 hours, who was the main support in meeting fellow Brit Ezra Taylor.
Look out for more copy of this event over the next few days as fight week builds.
The Undisputed 