Rather than hate, or even dislike, the feeling that unites Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley ahead of their October 25 heavyweight clash in London appears to be gratitude.
With both men keen to stay active and capitalise on momentum, they are grateful to have crossed paths at exactly this point in their respective careers.
For Wardley, a fight against Parker next month represents the kind of step up he needs, whereas for Parker, the more experienced of the two, the option of Wardley is a handy one to have when waiting for a well-earned shot at world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
“It’s very important in a career not to get stuck, or stagnant, and to know that the people managing and looking after you – Frank [Warren], Queensberry [Promotions] – can deliver on their word and say, ‘Look, if you see an opportunity and you want to go for it, we can put those pieces together for you,’” said Wardley this afternoon, speaking on talkSPORT. “They have done exactly that – for me and for Joe as well. The rest is left to us now.”
“I’m just happy I have a fight,” said Parker, sharing Wardley’s relief. “I’m happy Fabio put up his hand and agreed to this fight. I want to keep busy. I want to fight as often as I can. Fighting once or twice a year is no good. So I’m very happy we have a fight locked in. It is respect [between us], but we both know that when fight-time comes, all that goes out the window.”
In addition to gratitude, there is something else unusual tethering the pair: respect. In fact, so amiable are Parker and Wardley, both generally and in one another’s company, one wonders whether the fight between them will catch light at all until it must – that is, when the first bell rings on October 25. Ask them both and they will tell you they are convinced the fight sells itself, yet, equally, it would be remiss not to mention that it takes place at London’s O2 Arena – where the capacity is set for 16,000 – and will be sold as a DAZN pay-per-view.
“I think he has got a great story,” Parker, from New Zealand, said of his next opponent. “He came from a white-collar background and he’s got good knockout power. He’s knocked out 18 opponents in 20 fights [19 wins and one No Contest] and in his last fight [against Justis Huni] he showed that he can pull it out of the bag if things do get tough and hard.”
Warldey, for his part, was just as complimentary. “I think he’s [Parker] a fantastic fighter who has had a fantastic career as well,” said the Ipswich man. “He started out great, world champion, had a little pivot in the middle, but showed his grit and resilience to pick himself back up and pull himself together. He came off a few knockdowns, losses, whatever you want to call them, and then just took out top heavyweight after top heavyweight to put himself in this mandatory position with the WBO. It’s nothing but admirable. I can’t admire him much more in that sense.”
While it is true that admiration – mutual admiration – is never a go-to tool to effectively sell a fight, it is just as true that the potential for disappointment with Parker and Wardley is lower than it would be for most other heavyweights. Open books, both in the ring and away from it, Parker and Wardley seldom veer from the script or surprise you. Even rarer is it that they disappoint you.
“From me it’s pretty obvious what you get,” said Wardley. “I’m drama and entertainment – one way or the other. You can either pick the first Frazer [Clarke] fight, where it’s a 12-round war, or the second Frazer fight, where it’s a one-round blowout. Take your pick. It can be one of the other – or anywhere in the middle.
“I think the perfect thing about this fight is that it doesn’t need all the selling and prancing around and tables flipping and the kicking off at press conferences. That’s not my thing and I’m pretty sure it’s not Joe’s thing either.
“This fight sells itself. You look at our styles, you look at how we approach fights, and you just know that when we get in the ring together neither of us will be too keen on taking a back step. It’s going to be fireworks.”
As for who wins, even on that subject both were noncommittal. Parker, the favourite, refused to accept that distinction, preferring instead to train as an underdog; a role in which he has had a lot of recent success. Wardley, on the other hand, understands why Parker would be the pre-fight favourite and made no attempt to argue against it.
“Since the fight was announced the general talk is that Joe is the obvious favourite and I’m expected to lose because he’s more proven and he’s more experienced and he’s been at world level before,” said Wardley, 19-0-1 (18 KOs). “This is my first step into that realm. I’m not just dipping my toe; I’m jumping headfirst into the water, really.
“But I think that’s been a running theme for I don’t know how many fights now and every time I seem to find a way to win. There are many qualities it takes to be a world champion and maybe not doing things perfectly but finding a way to win is one of those as well.”
“A lot of people say I’m the favourite, but I don’t see myself as favourite,” said Parker, 36-3 (24 KOs). “I’m treating this as my championship-of-the-world fight. That’s how you should treat every fight. I’m taking this guy very seriously. I’m in Ireland preparing and zoning in on what he brings.”
Parker added: “I don’t think it’s going to go the distance. We’ll be prepared if it does, but I don’t think so.”
It was, in the final analysis, about as close as either man came to upsetting their opposite number.
