Fabio Wardley has previously shared the ring with Oleksandr Usyk and is now hoping he will be able to do so again.
Former British and Commonwealth champion Wardley has earned the right to challenge boxing’s first-ever two-time undisputed heavyweight ruler in the four-belt era after his impressive recent win over Joseph Parker in October.
In what was a close fight that looked to be heading to a points defeat for the Brit, he once again pulled out some big shots and hurt Parker in the 11th round. He continued throwing shots and forced the referee to stop the fight.
That has made him the WBO mandatory challenger, and he already has some experience of being up close and personal with the former undisputed cruiserweight great.
Speaking to First Round TV, Wardley was asked how he rated Usyk from their spars some years ago.
“Incredibly highly, even back then. Especially at that stage of my career, it was baffling to me. It was just like wizardry in motion. We would spar, then he would do all the stuff afterwards, these bits of training and things. I would just sit and observe. I was just trying to figure stuff out so I would sit there and watch.”
Usyk has been taking his time to get back to the ring following his second win over Daniel Dubois back in July. He claimed he had a back injury, which prevented him from negotiating a fight with Parker, but will now be stripped if he does not fight Wardley sometime next year.
