Spectacular ringside footage captured the precise moment Fabio Wardley secured a potential world title opportunity by dramatically knocking out Justis Huni.
Despite being behind on all judges` scorecards and trailing in punch statistics after nine rounds at Ipswich`s Portman Road, Wardley, the local favourite, delivered a sensational comeback.
He unleashed a devastating right hand in the tenth round, a true `Hail Mary` shot, to knock Huni out.
Footage from ringside, shared by Queensberry Promotions and DAZN, highlighted the sheer power of Wardley`s fight-ending blow. The British heavyweight adeptly slipped to his left before delivering a counter right that landed with a noticeable thud, sending Huni to the canvas.
The 30-year-old Wardley maintained his undefeated record and earned the WBA interim title with this victory.
This win positions him as a mandatory challenger for the WBA belt currently held by Oleksandr Usyk, who is scheduled to defend it against Daniel Dubois on July 19 at Wembley.
Promoter Frank Warren on Wardley`s Future
Wardley`s promoter, Frank Warren, commented to Boxing News: “No rush for anything, he`s secured his position with the WBA. A big fight`s happening on the 19th of July at Wembley between Usyk and Daniel Dubois. Whoever comes away with the four belts is going to have to start to make some mandatories and all the mandatory contenders are guys we work with. So they`re going to be pretty easy fights to make.”
Wardley`s career trajectory, which began as a recruitment consultant before transitioning to boxing, has now put him on the brink of elite world title contention.
Fabio Wardley Reflects on the Win
Reflecting on his performance, Wardley stated: “I don`t profess to be any kind of Usyk or Justis Huni – someone with all the skills. But one thing I do know is how to win fights, dig deep, find a bit of heart, bite down on the gumshield, find a way to win. That`s one thing I had to do tonight. I should have performed better in some of the rounds. It`s not always the way it goes. Sometimes you just need to find a different way to win. So look, we pulled something out of the bag.”
