Joseph Parker vs Fabio Wardley – heavyweight preview

It was recently announced that Joseph Parker will face Fabio Wardley in an intriguing heavyweight bout at The O2 Arena in London on October 25. Parker vs Wardley will be streamed live worldwide on DAZN PPV. 

The event dubbed ‘All or Nothing’ really is full of intrigue, with the winner cementing themselves in pole position to face Oleksandr Usyk.

Ahead of this heavyweight showdown, we bring you our preview.

Parker vs Wardley – full heavyweight preview for Oct. 25

Oleksandr Usyk remains at the top of the heavyweight tree after his dominating win over Daniel Dubois, crowning him the undisputed heavyweight champion once again. 

Parker is the WBO mandatory, but Usyk has been granted a 90-day medical extension to agree terms with Parker, meaning a resolution on Usyk-Parker may not happen until December.

The New Zealand fighter is not the type to sit around and wait for his opportunity, and has taken on an intriguing challenge in facing big-punching Wardley.

It speaks volumes about Parker’s mentality that he is prepared to risk a potential shot at Usyk and face the dangerous Ipswich native.

According to analysts and bookmakers, Parker is the favourite for the clash, but with one month still to go, anything is possible. If you are interested in following the odds or betting on this fight, there are several offers available on Oddspedia for new users which has all been tested and offer detailed terms and conditions.

Parker vs Wardley preview – previous form and what to expect on fight night

New Zealander Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) was supposed to fight Daniel Dubois for the IBF title in February this year, before ultimately facing and demolishing Martin Bakole in two rounds in a first defence of his Interim title, which he won from Zhilei Zhang in 2024, having previously recorded a shock win over Deontay Wilder.

These recent wins capped a rapid career resurgence following his defeat to Joe Joyce in 2022.

Wardley (19-0-1, 18 KOs) was comprehensively outboxed for the majority of his previous fight before landing a huge right hand to KO Justis Huni. That win followed his rematch domination over Frazer Clarke.

Parker vs Wardley at The O2 Arena has been dubbed ‘All or Nothing’, and will be promoted by Queensberry and co-promoted by Platform Sport. It’s a battle of two of the best heavyweight contenders on the planet.

Wardley never seems to be in a dull fight and always has a puncher’s chance with that right hand. He will look to make Parker feel that power early, while already proving in the Huni bout that he carries the KO power until the end.

 Parker, under the tutelage of Andy Lee, has proven he has more than enough ring IQ to deal with big punchers and deliver his own game plan. Parker put his punches together really well, moves impressively, and has proven to have a good chin, which he will need against the big-punching fighter from Ipswich.

Frank Warren sets the scene for Parker vs Wardley at the O2 Arena

Promoter Frank Warren set the scene for Parker vs Wardley on October 25: “This will be a corker of a heavyweight clash and one which will shine a huge light on the division. Fights like this one are as good as it can get outside of the champion defending his belts and the sort we want to see happen.

“Neither Joe or Fabio wanted to wait about and protect their positions and credit to them both for this. I believe this is a genuine even-money fight with a mesh of styles that I am sure will be eye-catching and highly crowd-pleasing.

“We promised to keep firing up this heavyweight division and we intend to keep all the contenders jockeying for position until the time come to fight for the ultimate prize.

“It is wonderful to be back at The O2 Arena with ‘All or Nothing’. It will be a great show with some extremely competitive and meaningful fights on the undercard. This event will be the hottest ticket in town.”