Fabio Wardley was able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat as he scored a sensational comeback knockout against Justis Huni.
The knockout artist Wardley was the main attraction in his homecoming fight in Ipswich on Saturday night. However, it appeared as if things would not be going his way at Portman Road Stadium.
After 9 completed rounds out of a scheduled 12, Wardley would find himself far behind on the judges’ scorecards. As the fight progressed, it appeared as if Huni would improve his unbeaten record to 13-0.
However, it would be Wardley who maintained his undefeated record. In the 10th round, a seemingly tired Wardley would land a crushing right hand on Huni, who was put down and out.
Speaking on his performance, the 30-year-old gave an honest assessment of the fight.
Fabio Wardley gives personal assessment of his win over Justis Huni
Speaking to Boxing News in the aftermath of his stunning knockout win, Wardley was asked about his opinion on the fight.
Wardley began by saying he may have become ‘overconfident’ after landing a significant strike in the opening moments of the fight. “I saw him wobbled a bit and thought, cool, couple of rounds, I’ll get through that.”
The British fighter feels this caused him to ‘rush’ his approach and described the following rounds as ‘messy’.
Despite the win, Wardley said that his performance was frustrating. “I annoyed myself because I know I’m better than that, in terms of actual boxing.”
Giving credit to his opponent, Huni, Wardley said that he wasn’t able to showcase his skillset to the highest ability, due to the qualities of the opposition. However, Saturday night’s victor said that the main aim of the game is to ‘find a way to win’.
Although many fighters would relish a fight in their hometown and see it as an advantage, Wardley felt the opposite way. “I think I was actually too relaxed… Everything felt like home, and that maybe kept things a bit too comfortable.”
Former Eric Molina opponent Wardley then added, “Maybe I underestimated him a bit, too.”
Frank Warren reacts to Fabio Wardley’s knockout win
Frank Warren described Wardley’s performance as a ‘dramatic win’ when speaking to Boxing News in the aftermath of the stadium event.
Warren, who has named Wardley as a potential opponent for Anthony Joshua, said his fighter was ‘well behind on the cards’ prior to the finish. However, he said that Wardley ‘did the business’ thanks to the singular punch.
The boxing promoter said that he told Wardley between fights that he would have to knock out his opponent and was telling him to, “Let that right hand go.”
In terms of whether he feels Wardley’s corner should’ve thrown in the towel for their fighter, Warren said, “It was the right thing to do” to continue the fight.