It’s hard not to respect the boxers in the heavyweight division. Despite Oleksandr Usyk running roughshod through the top competition, even twice against the same opponents on several occasions, everyone still wants a shot at all the glory. Usyk has become the fighter that can’t be slayed.
He has fought all of the top guys and come out unscathed, yet his recent decision to vacate his WBO belt instead of fighting Joseph Parker was seen as a sign of weakness. Parker didn’t want to wait around for a fight that might never happen, so he signed up for a bout against Fabio Wardley. Parker has never shied away from dangerous opponents, but this one backfired.
Will Oleksandr Usyk actually fight Fabio Wardley?
A back-and-forth fight ended in the 11th round, when Wardley stopped Parker in somewhat controversial fashion. Many fans believe the referee stopped the fight too early, while others believe Wardley won fairly and squarely. Regardless, Wardley is now set up as the WBO mandatory challenger to Usyk.
In the post-fight interview, it was fully expected that Wardley would have something to say about a potential fight with Usyk. Wardley minced no words and kept it very short and sweet: “I got one thing. One thing only to say: UUUUUSSSYYYKKKK, UUUUUSSSYYYKKKK!“
Whether Usyk actually pays Wardley any mind remains to be seen. Wardley isn’t necessarily a bigger name than Parker, and Usyk didn’t seem interested at all in taking the Parker fight. The Ukrainian appears to be waiting for the Tyson Fury trillogy fight.
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