The stage is set for October 25 at The O2, where Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley collide in a heavyweight fight that carries make-or-break consequences. At Glazers Hall, the opening press conference put both men under the spotlight, but Parker’s earlier words in camp show where his head really is.
Frank Warren spelled it out: “Why is this fight so significant? Because you’ve got two guys who don’t need to fight each other. Both are Interim champions. Usyk is out for 90 days… If he doesn’t fight them, the winner could be declared champion. For the winner it will be all and for the loser it will be nothing.”
Parker: “Walking Towards The Fire? I Love The Fire”
Parker didn’t hold back at the presser: “Walking towards the fire? I love the fire. I’ve fought a lot of fighters out there who are big punchers and they haven’t been able to get me out of there, so credit to Fabio Wardley for taking this fight.”
But rewind to his sit-down interview with “The Stomping Ground” and you hear the same steady mindset. On Usyk slipping away: “That’s the fight I want and that’s the fight that makes sense because he’s got all the belts. But if it’s not the fight in front of you, then you just focus on what’s next. It was out of my control. The only thing I could control was training back in New Zealand.”
And on why he took Wardley now instead of waiting: “I wanted to fight. I wanted to keep busy. I had one fight in 2024, only one this year with Martin Bakole. I need more fights. The only way to progress is by putting it all together on fight night. I need ring time.”
Parker doubled down at the press conference: “There are levels. They do say there are levels in boxing and I believe with the experience that I have and what I have been working on in New Zealand, I have got a good base and I am excited to see what I can do in the ring.”
Wardley: “This Will Be A Defining Moment”
Wardley, unbeaten and bullish, is treating this as his coming-out party. “This will be a huge moment in my career, a defining moment, probably. I am committed to that saying of ‘big fights only’ because I have not come here to play around. I have not made it this far in my career to just hang about and wait for things to be handed to me.”
He praised Parker’s standing but refused to play second fiddle: “With Oleksandr Usyk tied up at the moment, there isn’t a better competitor in the division right now than the No.2 man Joseph Parker. People maybe still have reservations and question marks, so October 25th is where I get to wipe that all clean by beating Joseph Parker.”
Wardley’s KO stats haven’t gone unnoticed. Parker admitted: “The hardest puncher I’ve faced right now because he’s got the highest percentage. He can do that to me, I can do that to him. Now it’s a matter of who’s going to execute that plan.”
My Take – Parker vs Wardley Outcome
Credit where it’s due: Frank Warren has delivered a proper fight here. Two Interim champs, real jeopardy, no hiding, no waiting around. In today’s heavyweight scene, that’s rare — and it deserves respect.
Wardley talks a good game and he believes it. But Parker’s been in with Joshua, Whyte, Chisora, Zhang, Wilder — the fire Wardley’s walking into is hotter than anything he’s seen before. Parker’s right: there are levels. Wardley’s never fought at this one.
Can Fabio crack him? Of course. But Parker’s got the nous, the chin, the engine, and the timing. If Parker controls the pace, it’s his fight to lose. My call? Parker by knockout in the middle rounds. Too experienced, too sharp, too seasoned. Wardley will learn the hard way that levels matter.
Last Updated on 09/09/2025
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