The winner of Joseph Parker-Fabio Wardley has been told he will be Oleksandr Usyk’s next opponent.
Parker’s a very mature fighter, but in the territory he’s found himself in – waiting for his shot at the champion – there’s a risk of stagnation. He doesn’t come across as taking Wardley, or anyone else for that matter, lightly, but it becomes frustrating to remain waiting as he’s been forced to do, and his motivation may have been tested.
His reputation is intact – he’s a former world champion who continues to win at a high level – but if I found myself in his position I’d be particularly frustrated. I’ve little doubt he’s being paid well, but the motivation that comes with trying to win a title, particularly like that held by a fighter like Usyk, can become more important to an older fighter who’s already been successful and is therefore more driven by legacy than money.
He also had to endure missing out on the fight with Daniel Dubois and then watch Dubois fight Usyk and produce a performance like he didn’t deserve to be in the same ring as Usyk. Wardley’s dangerous – he has power – so Saturday’s fight is not one in which Parker can risk anything other than being very sharp.
Parker lost to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte in successive fights in 2018. After the second of those, against Whyte, he was in a difficult position, but he remained motivated, started working in Tyson Fury’s training camp under Andy Lee, and has gradually improved.
Even the defeat by Joe Joyce in 2022 wasn’t too damaging. With the benefit of hindsight and the way that Joyce has since declined, it’s tempting to conclude that Joyce had to leave the best of himself in the ring that night to win.
Parker’s professionalism – not just his motivation, but his dedication – and the fact that he’s a both disciplined-and-cerebral boxer means that at 33 he still has plenty left.
He doesn’t have the fastest hands. He’s also not particularly strong. But he’s an intelligent boxer – his intelligence and discipline is what secures his biggest victories – and he’s consistent and keeps his shape, and I can only admire that.
Wardley’s not yet proven himself to be at Parker’s level. At 30 he’s raw, strong, and he has potential, but he’s yet to show he can realise his potential at a higher level, and Parker is capable of being the ideal test of that.
In his most recent fight, the 10th-round stoppage of Justis Huni in June, his power dramatically got him out of trouble. Even though he passed a test of his character that night he won’t be able to rely on that against Parker – he’ll have to find a way to wear Parker down and stop Parker building momentum.
Even then, if he succeeds in hurting Parker, Parker will remain competitive and seek to wrestle back the momentum of what’s unfolding. At the level Parker’s at – which Wardley might be about to learn – that’s what fighters do.
At world level, even the power of someone like Wardley often doesn’t intimidate fighters. At domestic and perhaps continental level that kind of power unnerves opponents, who can become intimidated, stop attempting to win, and fade or only look to survive. At world level, opponents can get dropped, but they can also return to their feet and if they do so they’ll keep trying to win. A more relevant question than whether Parker can take Wardley’s power might be how Wardley will react if Parker is knocked down by his power and gets back to his feet.
Either way, Wardley isn’t just a puncher. He’s so far shown real hunger and determination. But there’s no question that he lacks experience. Huni showed how much he had to work on – that fight might even prove just what he needed to be ready for Parker on Saturday night.
Despite recognising the risks Wardley poses, as long as he’s fully focused, I struggle to see Parker losing. Unless he’s frustrated at not securing Usyk or looking too far into the future about what might follow Wardley – and he’s not yet shown to be that nature of fighter – Parker has to be favoured to earn a decision or even, given Wardley’s stamina remains unproven, a late stoppage.
I expect him to attempt to dictate the tempo from the early rounds, and to prevent Wardley from building any confidence or present any opportunities that give him the confidence to throw with power. It’s almost about not allowing it to become an exciting fight, before closing it out either for a decision or stoppage.
If Parker does win, I can see him fighting Usyk in 2026. If Wardley wins, a fight with Moses Itauma strikes me as likelier.
Itauma’s even been linked with a fight with Usyk, and while the recency bias that exists in boxing means that that isn’t a surprise, in 2025 Itauma is little more than a prospect. If Parker can beat Wardley, how many more excuses can be made for him not fighting Usyk next?
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Max Kellerman questioning Usyk’s resume at heavyweight struck me as little more than clickbait. Usyk’s in the conversation for the greatest heavyweight of all time.
He’s beaten the best of his era – some of them, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, twice. Anyone in the history of the heavyweight division would have been tested by Fury. Usyk’s also won the undisputed heavyweight title twice.
