WINNER IN PLAIN SIGHT
“You get fighters that are a sharp type of power [or]
a fighter in the heat of battle, and few in the sport today are more adept at wading through heavy fire than Wardley. “I think it works so well for him because he’s under no illusions. There’s just complete trust,” Davison says. “They say ‘do this,’ I’m going to do my best to try and do that. That’s why it works for him. And
your shot here, because there’s a chance you could chin ’em,’ There’s no hesitation. He’ll just commit to it, and I think that works for him.” There’ll similarly be no hesitation from Team Wardley if it ends up being Usyk next. Indeed, it is unlikely any opponent in the great Ukrainian’s career will have been so familiar with him before facing off under the
fighters who are heavy-handed, just weighty, dense. I feel like Fabio’s got a bit of both. ”
sometimes sticking to the wrong plan is better than sticking to no plan. Not to say we’re magicians or anything, but he sticks to the plan, and that’s why it works for him. “We will look at an opponent and then look at how Fabio’s tendencies match up against his in terms of what’s good about this matchup for us. We’ll also look at what’s bad about us for this matchup, and we’ll put together some things to say, ‘Look, this opponent’s got a habit of doing this; when you do this, his response will typically be that. The way to capitalize on that is this.’ Or it will be a case of, ‘Look, you need to be aware you’ve got a habit of doing this. This opponent will typically react like this when you do that, so you need to be aware of that. You need to either make an adjustment and not do the things that you normally do or just be ready to defend in this moment.’ “It sounds more complicated than it is, but it’s actually not. It’s simplified. In the NFL, there are 22 players on the [field] at the same time, but they put together scout reports – situations that might occur. If they can do that with 22 people on the [field], we can do it with two guys in a boxing ring, right? It’s not that difficult. “People think that we crunch numbers and do data and all that, but it’s simple stuff. There’s footage of
James Toney [sitting] around with his coach [watching tapes]. People say, ‘Oh, old-school coaches, you didn’t have this with old-school coaches.’ No, you had it more. Mike Tyson used to sit there watching fights with Cus D’Amato. There’s actually less of it now than there used to be. That’s the issue.” C oaching drills, Wardley’s dedication and his intrinsic gifts all provide the platform for the thing we’ve really come to see and the attribute that could lead Britain’s latest world heavyweight titleholder to the top of the mountain against all odds: raw and genuine knockout power. All but one of Wardley’s 20 professional victories have come via KO. The anomaly is a four-round points win in his debut. Davison knows a thing or two about heavyweight power, having taken Itauma, Joshua and Tyson Fury on the pads, among many others. “You get different types of power,” he says. “You get fighters that are a sharp type of power [or] fighters who are heavy-handed, just weighty, dense. I feel like Fabio’s got a bit of both. Also, if you were to put him in a DEXA scan and get his bone density checked, I would imagine it’s extremely high. “With that and his athleticism, no matter what gloves you put on him, you can feel his knuckles. The weight of the shot as well as the snappiness and the sharpness that he’s got. And that’s combined with him being a committed puncher. He’s brave. If we say to him, for example, ‘Look, in this situation, there’s a bit of a risk, but commit to
bright lights. Around the time of his fruitful sparring gigs with Whyte in 2018, Wardley also spent a month in Ukraine to assist Usyk with preparations for his final cruiserweight bout against Tony Bellew. Fabio was called back for two more weeks ahead of his heavyweight debut versus Chazz Witherspoon in October 2019. Hodgins estimates his man has sparred somewhere in the region of 50 to 60 rounds with Usyk, having returned enamored with training techniques that he has incorporated into his own routine. “The dream is to fight Usyk,” he said, speaking to The Ring before Usyk’s decision to vacate the WBO title, which saw Wardley elevated from interim to full titleholder in the aftermath of his win over Parker. “I know we are massive underdogs. Fab’s gonna have to have his A-game against Usyk because he’s fighting someone who is, pound-for- pound, the best in the last 20 years. “But we believe in Fab. Usyk has beaten very top, decorated amateurs who turn professional, Olympic gold medalists and people like that. But he hasn’t faced anyone like Fab. Fab’s rawness and inexperience at that level could be Usyk’s downfall and our gain. We’re in a no-lose situation; we’ve got everything to win. No one expects us to win, but what if we do?” It will be the tallest task yet in a career where Fabio Wardley has made an irresistible habit of doing what no one outside of his small and dedicated team expects.
Justis Huni was miles ahead against Wardley before being taken out.
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