Fabio Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KO) says he is ready to fight Oleksandr Usyk for his four heavyweight titles after defeating Joseph Parker (36-4, 24 KO) by 11th round technical knockout on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London.
(Source: Queensberry/Leigh Dawney)
Wardley’s 24-karat gold breakthrough
Wardley entered the fight holding the WBA interim heavyweight title against WBO interim champion Parker. There were moments in rounds 1, 9 and 10 where Wardley looked like he might not advance. What saved him was his resilience, his fighting spirit, and the way he gained energy when Parker briefly got him into trouble.
This is what turned the tables on Wardley in the 10th round. He was injured after eating multiple shots following a series of punches from Parker. He came back to stun Parker slow in the round. In the 11th, Wardley landed a smash right to Parker’s head, sending him back against the ropes.
The referee’s detention incites Parker’s ire
After a strange back and forth exchange, Parker fell to the ropes. Inexplicably, referee Howard Foster stepped in and stopped the fight. In response, an angry-looking Parker shoved Foster, letting him know he shouldn’t have stopped the fight. The arrest occurred at 1:54.
It looked like Wardley would have finished Parker off anyway. Wardley had a killer instinct and for Parker to survive, he would have to gaslight. It didn’t look like it was going to happen. Wardley would have hit him continuously if the referee hadn’t blown his whistle.
“I wasn’t hurt. I wasn’t concussed. You saw me go into it in the second round,” Fabio Wardley said in post-fight press conference after his victory over Joseph Parker. “It wasn’t anything earth-shattering. It wasn’t anything mind-blowing. It didn’t surprise me at all,” Wardley said when asked about Parker’s power.
Wardley actually looked dazed slow in the first round after being hit by a challenging right hand from Parker. But he came back sturdy in the second round, hurting Parker and hitting him with a storm of shots. It was a miracle that the Fresh Zealander made it out of the innings.
Usyk now in Wardley’s sights
“That was the goal and everything I wanted,” Wardley said of his thoughts on becoming a must-see for Oleksandr Usyk. “I can’t ask for anything more in this sport. When the bell rings, when Usyk and I finally get in the ring, he’s going to have to work for it.”
An eight-year slog to glory
It didn’t take Wardley too many years to close in on the Usyk fight. Fabio has been a professional for eight years and only started facing significant opponents in 2022. Since then, he has risen rapidly, defeating Parker, Frazer Clarke, Justis Huni, David Adeleye, Michael Polite Coffi and Nathan Gorman.
What was surprising was that Parker caused Wardley fewer problems than his previous opponent, Justis Huni, last June. Wardley’s situation against Huni was desperate as he was down for nine rounds before coming back and scoring a knockout in the tenth round. Tonight. The fight was close, with Parker leading by round 11 by scores of 98-92, 96-94 and 95-95.
“I would love to do it abroad. Bring him the belts, let’s put it on,” Wardley said of Usyk.
The season in Riyad is waiting to be decided
If Turki Alalshikh is involved, he will likely want to stage the Usyk vs. Wardley fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Assuming he actually finances the fight, as was the case with the two Usyk vs. Tyson Fury and the Usyk vs. rematch Daniel Dubois, placing the fight in Riyad would seem an obvious destination.
Fans just want to see Wardley and Usyk fight anywhere. This will be a completely different type of fight for Alexander than the ones he has fought so far in the heavyweight division. As we witnessed today, Wardley is a combination puncher who won’t give up. He puts constant pressure on you and you either try to match him or get eliminated.
It will be captivating to see what strategy Usyk uses to neutralize Wardley’s attack, as he won’t be able to do so while meeting fire with fire. It doesn’t have that power. Moreover, Wardley has too good hand speed and is great at combination shots.
Oscar De La Hoya has questioned the general consensus that Canelo Alvarez is a Mexican boxing legend following his unanimous decision victory over Christian Mbilli.
The 36-year-old reclaimed his WBC title last Saturday, having lost his undisputed super-middleweight crown in his previous outing, against Terence Crawfordin September 2025.
Following that defeat, many wondered whether Canelo could succeed again at world level but, sure enough, he did just that by dethroning Mbilli.
Not only did he claim a convincing points victory, but the Mexican contained Mbilli’s aggression and controlled the majority of their contest with superior technical and defensive skills.
This, however, was not quite enough to satisfy his former promoter, De La Hoya, who has suggested that Canelo’s low punch output made for a largely tedious affair.
As per his semi-regular social media series, Clapback Thursdaythe Hall of Famer also undermined Canelo’s widely-accepted legacy as a Mexican great.
“I’m so f**king tired of 100 punches [being] thrown in a fight with no action whatsoever, and I know the fans are over it.
“We all miss those days of [Marco Antonio] Barrera, [Erik] Morales [and] Julio Cesar Chavez – that’s what Mexican boxing is known for.
“Canelo, do you try to proclaim you’re the best Mexican fighter ever? You couldn’t hold Chavez’ jockstrap. And I can name 10 other Mexican fighters who are way better boxers than you are. And they didn’t sell-out to fight in front of 15 people in Saudi Arabia.”
In fairness, Canelo has never proclaimed to be the greatest Mexican fighter in history, though most would argue he deserves to be considered in an all-time top 10.
A formal press release was issued today announcing the December 19 welterweight title unification between Devin Haney and Liam Paro at San Francisco’s Chase Center, and in anticipation of the meeting with a co-feature of Brian Norman vs Abel RamosHaney shared his excitement for what he expects to be another successful outing to snag some more hardware.
“My resume speaks for itself,” Haney said. “I’ve never been afraid to go into a champion’s backyard and put my record on the line. I went to Australia, took George Kambosos’ belts, and became undisputed lightweight champion of the world. Now I’m bringing another Australian world champion, Liam Paro, into my backyard. This time, I plan to take his belt and become a unified welterweight world champion right here at home. “Oakland is where my story started, and the Bay Area has always been part of who I am. The Valkyries just brought a championship to Chase Center, and on December 19, I plan to keep that championship energy going.
“I made history in Australia. Now it’s time to make history at home.”
Paro, however hopes to upset the odds, knowing he’ll be coming into this fight as a decided underdog.
“Three years ago, I was on the undercard at Chase Center the night Devin fought Regis Prograis,” Paro said. “I said back then that Haney versus Paro rolls off the tongue. Now it’s here. Champion versus champion, two belts on the line, in his backyard.
“I’ve never taken the easy road. I went to Puerto Rico and took the title off Matias in front of his own people. Devin’s a great fighter and I respect that. But I’ve been the underdog plenty of times and I’ve made history before. December 19, I’m coming to unify the division and make more history.”
With the WBO and IBF welterweight world titles on the line, one fight will be heading into the new year halfway to undisputed.
Liam Paro served as supporting cast the last time Devin Haney headlined at Chase Center. Come December 19, he walks into San Francisco carrying the IBF welterweight title, gunning to strip Haney of his WBO strap.
Three years transformed Paro from an undercard face into a headline attraction. He watched Haney shut out Regis Prograis from the locker room in December 2023. Now he commands the marquee, even if getting US fight fans to open their wallets on pay-per-view presents an uphill battle.
“Three years ago, I was on the undercard at Chase Center the night Devin fought Regis Prograis. I said back then that Haney versus Paro rolls off the tongue. Now it is here. Champion versus champion, two belts on the line, in his backyard. I have never taken the easy road. I went to Puerto Rico and took the title off Matias in front of his own people,” Paro stated.
The Australian proved his mettle by snatching the 140-pound crown from Subriel Matias on hostile soil. Richardson Hitchins took it right back six months later, checking Paro’s momentum before mainstream crowds took notice.
The jump to 147 pounds provided the reboot he needed. Three straight wins, capped by a gritty points victory over Lewis Crocker to claim the IBF strap, set the stage for this encounter.
Haney ends a lengthy layoff on home turf. Sitting out more than twelve months makes asking fans to purchase a DAZN PPV against a fighter unknown to mainstream viewers a tough sell. Belts by themselves rarely move the needle at the box office.
Brian Norman Jr. takes on Abel Ramos in the ten-round co-feature. Norman dropped his WBO belt to Haney last November and must now accept undercard placement on his conqueror’s bill.
Paro earned his position the hard way. December 19 decides if his punch output can upset the hometown favorite or if Haney cruises behind his jab.
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