Fabio Wardley Might Actually Do It
Joshua Jaramillo - October 25 2025
Fabio Wardley just stopped Joseph Parker.
He has only boxed for a decade.
No amateur accolades, not even amateur experience. This is a man who cut his teeth on the UK white collar boxing scene and has truly struggled on his ascent, earning a shot at the undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandyr Usyk.
Fabio Wardley, while extremely deficient on the boxing skills side of the equation, has several aspects more valuable in regard to how his career has shaped up until now. Power, athleticism, belief, and undeniable luck have all combined to grant Wardley the opportunity to etch his name into the history books. It’s not unfair to say that on the night, Joseph Parker and Justus Huni were more deserving of a win than Wardley. However, as is with all things sports, especially boxing, Wardley has miraculously found a way to clutch victory from the jaws of defeat on both occasions.
A myriad of excuses can be made by the scorned parties, particularly that of a rather poor stoppage in the case of the victory over Parker. Regardless, the fact remains that Wardley hung in there and made the victory occur with his own two fists. The latest win over Parker was a jump in class over a contender that belonged on the world stage at heavyweight, ever bereft of depth. There wasn’t a single second in the entertaining clash with Joseph Parker that Wardley showed that he had the skills to hang in there with his opponent, much less an all-time great in Oleskandyr Usyk.
It didn’t matter. It hasn’t mattered for Fabio Wardley. It’s far too easy to pick apart his lack of skills and perhaps more critical to his development, a lack of a competent corner. Wardley will be what he will be, and that is an exciting presence in the heavyweight division. His incredible vulnerability in tandem with how he always seems to find a way to get through far superior opposition means that he is always worth watching.
Should he beat Usyk? No. Will he even get close in a just world? Hell no.
But he might. And that chance, miniscule as it may be, is actually real in a sport that often presents us with the falsehood of a chance when promoting mismatches.
That alone makes Usyk-Wardley a worthwhile fight to make.
