Fabio Wardley says he wants his world title shot against undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk following his 11th-round TKO win over Joseph Parker last Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London.
All the Belts Beckon
Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) is not going to pass up the title shot that he earned with his victory over WBO interim heavyweight champion Parker (36-4, 24 KOs). Fabio had to go through a lot to get the victory. So, he’s not going to give up on that massive money opportunity.
“There’s nothing I want more,” said Fabio Wardley to talkSport Boxing about wanting the title shot against Oleksandr Usyk next. “All the belts, all the marbles, let’s go. All credit to Joseph Parker and Andy Lee for having the balls to take the fight. He’s a man of courage, and thank you for the opportunity.”
It looks like Wardley, 30, will be getting his chance to fight for the four belts against Usyk in 2026. The only way the fight doesn’t happen is if Usyk decides he’s got a better option fighting someone more popular, like Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, or Moses Itauma. Those are the only three that could tempt Usyk to look elsewhere than Wardley.
From White-Collar to Warrior
“There’s a lot that goes into winning fights. At the top level, you’ve got to have heart, will, determination, and the guts to win. I have all of those things,” said Wardley. “I want it. Everybody thinks that I came from white collar. I came out of nowhere, and I’m just happy to be here. That’s not the story. I want more,” said Wardley, giving his mindset.
The toughness that Wardley possessed, along with his punching power, played a huge factor in his victory over Parker last Saturday night. He wouldn’t have won the fight if he hadn’t been willing to take all those heavy shots and stay in the pocket.
Many heavyweights would have backed off if they were getting hit with the kind of shots that Wardley was repeatedly nailed with by Parker through ten rounds. Wardley didn’t. He stayed on top of Parker, pressuring him throughout the fight, taking his best punches to land his own.
Wardley kept his composure after referee Howard Foster chose to give Parker a timeout in the middle of his bombardment of him in round two. During that brutal round, Parker had lost his mouthpiece just when he was on the verge of being knocked out by Wardley. The referee saved Parker then, and in the tenth round as well, when he was badly hurt again by Fabio.
