It was brutal, gripping and divisive, and the winner was, in the eyes of many, unexpected.
Fabio Wardley’s victory over Joseph Parker was a huge achievement for the Ipswich man and provided fans with another heavyweight thriller.
In the aftermath, Wardley – and perhaps more importantly, promoter Frank Warren – made it clear what they wanted to, no, happen next: a date with Oleksandr Usyk; a man who has haunted British fighters for years.
The fight is expected to be booked by the WBO, and Warren said it would likely take place around March next year, with London and Riyadh hosting.
Interestingly, Wardley said he wanted to go to the United States, which would not only be huge for him, but the US has yet to see Usyk at heavyweight.
All the logistics are irrelevant compared to the main question: Can Wardley actually do it?
Several Brits have tried and failed, and the list is impressive: Tony Bellew (cruiserweight), Derek Chisora, Anthony Joshua (twice), Tyson Fury (twice) and Daniel Dubois (twice) failed to defeat Usyk’s generation great.
Wardley has made no secret of his unique journey to the top. He is now a white-collar fighter with little amateur experience who has established himself as the No. 2 heavyweight in the world.
However, he also made it clear that he didn’t want to fight Usyk for fun. He wants all four belts and believes he can cause problems for Ukraine.
“I’m not going to get in the ring with Usyk and say ‘thank you for having me’ and get up. When the bell rings, he’s going to have to work for it,” Wardley said.
Of course, you’d expect an elite fighter to have this attitude, but – so far, anyway – Wardley has embraced it.
After round 10 against Parker he had no chance but was stopped; 19th in his career. He took a lot of good shots, but he proved he had one of the best engines in the league and pushed forward.
Several times it looked like Parker was on the brink of being taken down, but Wardley stood his ground and refused to be taken down.
He won’t try to finish Usyk, but if and when he takes punches, Wardley has shown he can handle it. When it comes to how he can win a fight, he has what Warren calls the great equalizer. In a way, he is the British answer to Deontay Wilder.
“There are levels. There’s also Fabio Warley, who has a leveler and does ‘this and that,'” Warren said, raising both fists.
“And if he catches you, you’re out of the game.”
It all adds up to an intriguing year for the heavyweight division.
With any luck, Wardley, Usyk, Dubois, Agit Kabayel (who will fight in January), Moses Itauma and Joshua will fight until April.
Although Joshua has been inactive, he is still one of the biggest stars on the planet and his potential fight in Africa will be an unforgettable experience.
If fans want to see the best fighting the best, they shouldn’t mind Usyk fighting Wardley, who deserved his chance. Usyk has also beaten everyone so far and should be eager for a recent challenge.
You may doubt Wardley, but so far he has proven everyone wrong. Who said he couldn’t do it again?