Joseph Parker was the last man to face Fabio Wardley inside the squared circle and so is well placed to speak bout his power.
Parker was on the best run of his career when he and the Ipswich man met last year. He had beaten the likes of Zhilei Zhang, Deontay Wilder and Martin Bakole to get himself into position to challenge for a world title.
Instead of waiting, he took the fight with Wardley, who was coming off a late KO of Justis Huni. Though the New Zealander was up on the cards, Wardley pulled out another late onslaught and forced the referee to stop the fight.
Since then, former undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has decided to vacate his WBO belt rather than defend it against Wardley, who has been upgraded to full champ.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, Parker gave his assessment of how hard Wardley really hits.
“He’s right up there [with the biggest puncher I’ve faced]. He caught me with a few shots and I was like, ‘oh, nice.’
Given that Parker – who failed a doping test for cocaine for that fight but has protested his innocence – has faced the likes of Wilder and Anthony Joshua, who are regarded as two of the biggest punchers in the division, that is high praise indeed.
Wardley is now plotting his first defence, and has called out Tyson Fury.
