As the heavyweight division found new life in recent years, Joseph Parker has experienced a renaissance of his own. On Saturday night, Parker looks to take one step closer to a second reign as world champion when he takes on rising contender Fabio Wardley.
Parker (36-3, 24 KO) holds the WBO interim championship, while Wardley (19-0-1, 18 KO) is the WBA interim champ, placing both men in line for potential shots at undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk, though Wardley also has to contend with WBA “regular” champion Kubrat Pulev.
Parker won the WBO world title in December 2016, defeating Andy Ruiz Jr. by majority decision. After a pair of successful title defenses, Parker dropped the belt in March 2018 when he lost a decision to Anthony Joshua. A decision loss to Dillian Whyte followed, and many wrote Parker off as a player in the championship scene, feelings that seemed validated after a 2022 knockout loss to Joe Joyce.
Heading into Saturday, Parker is once again in the mix. He has won six consecutive fights, including wins over Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang and Martin Bakole in his three most recent fights.
Wardley has yet to taste defeat as a professional. The lone blemish on Wardley’s record is a March 2024 draw against Frazer Clarke. Wardley quickly smoothed over any doubts against Clarke by winning their rematch the following October by first-round stoppage.
In his most recent fight, Wardley seemed to be cruising toward his first career defeat as he was thoroughly outboxed by Justis Huni for nine rounds. Wardley’s power broke through in Round 10, putting Huni down for the count in a dramatic comeback.
Let’s take a closer look at the rest of the undercard with the latest odds before getting to prediction and expert pick on the main event.
Parker vs. Wardley fight card, odds
Odds via Rivers SportsBook
- Joseph Parker -400 vs. Fabio Wardley +280, heavyweights
- Juergen Uldedaj vs. Rolly Lambert Fogoum, cruiserweights
- Ezra Taylor vs. Steed Woodall, light heavyweights
- Mitchell Smith vs. Arnie Dawson, lightweights
- Danny Quartermaine vs. Royston Barney-Smith, junior lightweights
Where to watch Parker vs. Wardley
- Date: Oct. 25 | Location: O2 Arena — London
- Start time: 1:30 p.m. ET
- Watch live: DAZN PPV | Price: $59.99
Prediction
Wardley has true heavyweight power. That’s the kind of thing that keeps someone live in every fight they take. Parker could easily outbox Wardley with what we saw Huni do to Wardley in their fight. The paths to victory are clear for both men, there’s no real mystery to what either will be looking to do on Saturday.
We can take a step back and reevaluate the three wins that have launched Parker back into the title picture. Parker took advantage of a very passive Wilder, who has since seemed like little more than a shell of his formerly ferocious self. The Zhang fight was a solid win, but one that saw Parker dropped twice en route to a majority decision win. And Bakole took the fight on 24 hours’ notice, flew halfway across the world and entered the ring clearly out of shape. It’s an undeniably good run for Parker, but one that feels a little thinner than it may seem at first glance.
Back to Saturday, what can be trusted more? Parker’s chin or his ability to outbox Wardley without getting caught? Parker was down twice against Zhang, was knocked out cleanly by Joyce, was dropped by Derek Chisora in their first fight, and was dropped twice by Whyte. Wardley’s power is significant and he carries it through the entire fight, as we saw against Huni. The lean is toward the upset. Pick: Fabio Wardley via KO5
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