Fabio Wardley was dominated for nine rounds before finding his saving grace in the form of a KO-inducing shot on Justis Huni.
Wardley‘s latest fight, in his hometown of Ipswich, was undoubtedly his toughest yet. The former white-collar fighter was out of ideas against Huni, a stellar amateur with fast hands and great shot selection.
As the rounds went on it became clearer and clearer that all Huni had to do was stay switched on as he cruised toward a decision victory.
In heavyweight boxing, though, all it takes is one punch, and Wardley, after being beaten up for the majority of the fight, landed a solid right hand that closed the show.
All eyes are now on who he might face next, with his trainer Ben Davison giving a couple ideas.
Fabio Wardley may face Kubrat Pulev or Michael Hunter next
Wardley, who continues to find a way in the sport despite extremely scarce experience, with no amateur bouts and just four white-collar fights, could challenge for the WBA Regular world title belt next.
Pulev is the current title-holder after his win over Mahmoud Charr in 2024. He has lost only to Derek Chisora (in their rematch), Wladimir Klitschko, and Anthony Joshua.
Joshua defeated Pulev in his first fight since settling the score against Andy Ruiz, and defeated the Bulgarian with a ninth-round knockout.
Pulev has now been ordered to face Michael Hunter in defense of the belt, and the winner could well be next for Wardley.
When asked by TalkSport who Wardley might face next, Davison said: “I’m hearing Pulev and Michael Hunter might be getting a fight on, maybe the winner of that, or we don’t know how these belts might fragment.”
Hunter is 24-1-2, and has only been beaten by Oleksandr Usyk. He is one of few men to hold a win over Martin Bakole.
Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni scorecards revealed
Though Wardley, who underestimated Huni, won the fight, this was the first time he had been so outboxed and outpointed, so it’s interesting to see the scorecards at the time of the stoppage.
Unsurprisingly, all three judges scored in favor of Huni, who survived a drive-by shooting once, with one scoring 88-82, and the other two scoring 89-82.
This means Wardley won just one or two rounds ahead of the stoppage.