Parker warns Wardley: ‘I’m going to smash you’

Fabio Wardley vs. Joseph Parker

O2 Arena, London Date: Saturday, October 25th, 2018

In a heavyweight fight at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday, Joseph Parker warned Briton Fabio Wardley about “levels,” vowing to “smash him.”

The winner of Parker’s WBO “interim” belt is anticipated to face unbeaten heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk the following day.

And Wardley’s 20-fight unbeaten streak will be ended by the New Zealander, 33.

At Thursday’s news conference, former world champion Parker declared, “I have many miles on the clock and I have many more miles to bring.”

Parker is currently the WBO’s top contender for the title and is next up against Ukrainian Usyk, but he has agreed to take on Wardley, putting his weight on the line to earn another statement victory.

Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte, and Joe Joyce, the Auckland-born fighter, have lost three of their 39 professional fights, but he appears to have recovered under trainer Andy Lee.

Parker has once more become a member of the heavyweight division’s elite with victories over Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang, and Martin Bakole.

Parker, who held the full WBO world title between 2016 and 2018, continued, “I’m a different level, to be honest, and I’ll show it on Saturday.”

Wardley’s progression through the heavyweight ranks is nothing short of remarkable.

He first started boxing in the unlicensed white-collar scene when he was 20 years old before becoming a professional.

Wardley remained unaffected in response to Parker’s assertions.

It’s nothing new to me, I think. He continued, “I enjoy the challenge.” “I’m eager to step up,” I said. I’m proving to people that I’m wrong, that I’m wrong, and that I’m very much at this top level.

Wardley won the 10th-round match against Australian Justis Huni in June despite trailing on the scorecards at the time, and he showed his quality there by winning against David Adeleye and Frazer Clarke.

However, he thinks that his technical prowess occasionally outweighs his knockout record, which includes 18 wins and one draw in 19 victories.

“Just because my record is full of highlight-reel knockouts, I think people get off track of that and lose sight of what actually caused those punches or those moments,” said Wardley.

There is a lot more preparation required of mine and the team than I do for the ring if you think I’ll be running around with my right hand ready to go.

Parker repeated his earlier statement as the press conference came to a close when he was asked for Wardley’s final message.