Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley both say they don’t need to create “drama” this week to attract interest in their heavyweight headliner fight this Saturday, October 25 at the O2 Arena in London.
They believe that there’s enough fan interest in their battle to where flipping tables, throwing glass and creating fake drama isn’t requred to motivate boxing fans to purchase the event on DAZN PPV.
Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) wiill have his WBO interim heavyweight title that he’s putting at risk against WBA interim champion Wardley (19-0-1, 18 KOs). The winner of this fight will be in position to challenge undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk in 2026 to get a massive payday.
A Price Too Steep for This Undercard?
Parker vs. Wardley Undercard
- Lewis Edmondson vs. Ezra Taylor
- Juergen Uldedaj vs. Rolly Lambert Fogoum
- Danny Quartermaine vs. Royston Barney-Smith
- Mitchell Smith vs. Arnie Dawson
“War,” said Joseph Parker to DAZN Boxing when asked ‘what can fans expect on Saturday?’
“War by name, war by nature is something I picked up along the way. But with this one especially, knowing our two styles and how they’re going to come together, I think that’s why you don’t need all the drama, the table flipping and glass throwing,” said Fabio Wardley.
Tom Galm’s Viewpoint: Fans Slam the $59.99 Tag
There’s a lot of complaints from fans about the PPV price for this event. They believe this should be free, and the undercard is so poor that it’s totally unworthy a pay-per-view event.
Much of the interest from fans on social media is UK-centric rather than from the U.S public, which suggests that a theatrical build-up is needed to encourage them. The undercard has been widley criticized by fans throughout X, calling it “atrocious, and saying it, “definitely shouldn’t be behind a payday.”
For $59.99, fans on social media complain that the undercard is too focused on British-level fighters, and lack world class boxers that are worthy of paying to watch.
Fans feel that they’re being asked to pay an “absurd” amount of money to see just the main event between Parker and Wardley. Even that, it’s one that translates over the American audiences. Wardley is unproven, beating UK-level fighters throughout his career.
“There will be enough drama. Everyone will get their money’s worth on the night. So, we don’t need all the build up in that sense. We can just have this nice run. Get a few words back and forth. But the real drama, the real excitement will come on the 25th,” said Wardley.
Final Word: Respect Doesn’t Sell Fights
The two fighters have been polite with one another, seeming friendly during their interviews together. Drama would have been nice to attract fence-sitters to make them want to dig deep to purchase the event on DAZN PPV.
Given that Queensberry has chosent to price the event steeply, as if it were a loaded card, it would be wise for Parker and Wardley to create some theatrics this week before Saturday’s event if they want encourage U.S fans to buy.
Tom Galm has covered the global boxing scene since 2014, specializing in heavyweight analysis, business trends, and fighter psychology.
Last Updated on 10/20/2025
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