All or Nothing: No small faces for Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley as Oleksandr Usyk destiny looms

There is a verse in the song All or Nothing, released by the Small Faces in 1966, where the singer offers an apparent lament for a lost lover, caught in the midst of separation.

The exact definition of the lines "Things could work out just like I want them to / If I could have the other half of you" is open to interpretation - but perhaps, for today, it feels apt.

Joseph Parker has grown used to things not working out like he wants them to. Twice this year, the star has been denied the chance to bid for a second reign as world champion.

First, it was Daniel Dubois, the then-IBF champion in February, who pulled up ill mere days before the New Zealander was due to challenge him for his prized crown in Riyadh.

Then, it was Oleksandr Usyk, who petitioned the WBO for an extension on a mandatory order, claiming injury would prevent a fair defence of his undisputed crown this year.

Both times, Parker has been forced to play the waiting game. In Saudi Arabia earlier this year, he made the most of a missed opportunity, seemingly sanguine about the affair.

He faced off with Queensberry Promotions boss Frank Warren after replacement Martin Bakole missed the weigh-in, then spanked the latter inside two brutal, disarming rounds.

He acquiesced to the decision that allowed Dubois to bypass a rescheduled fight and challenge Usyk for all four belts at Wembley Stadium this July, content to wait for the winner.

But now, he will no longer wait for the moment to come to him - and with the Ukrainian off the table, has picked arguably the toughest test he could in the heavyweight market.

Like Parker, Fabio Wardley is an interim champion, the man sanctioned by one of the sport's four major governing bodies to be the next cab off the rank for their ultimate prize.

Like the Auckland man, the Ipswich star has built his way through a crowded division, seeing off domestic and international opponents to solidify his status as a key player.

And like the New Zealander, the Briton knows that the only way to trade up for a shot at a full title - to "have the other half" - is to beat the man in front of him on Saturday night.

'These two guys have stepped up'

Studio 338 is abuzz with activity. The South-East London club is no stranger to the bright lights - usually delivered with freewheeling strobes and ravers - but this is a little different.

In the midst of the storm, Parker and Wardley sit at banquet-style tables, accompanied by their promotional teams. Both men exchange the occasional glance, nothing more.

If there is a word that perhaps best sums up the prelude to this heavyweight affair, perhaps it could be "tranquility". There has been a distinct lack of interpersonal hullabaloo.

Maybe it is to be expected. Parker has matched his prizefighter revival with a grounded humility, his confidence tempered by his appreciation for a professional second wind.

Wardley meanwhile has spoken at length about his unorthodox route to the sport, how he turned a handful of white-collar fights into a career that continues to bely expectations.

Both bring a mutual respect to bear, and have done since this fight was made; self-belief underpinned by a rock-solid appreciation both for their talents, but also their tenacity.

Frank Warren, sat to Wardley's left, nailed the crux of the matter when pressed midway through Thursday's press conference, on just what makes this such an intriguing case.

"These two guys have stepped up when neither of them needed to make this fight," he spoke. "Joseph wants to fight. Fabio is in a fantastic position [but] he wanted to fight [too]."
 
There is the heart of this story. As WBO interim title holder and WBA interim strap holder, both Parker and Wardley were under no obligation to move from their well-earned perch.

Even with an extension, Usyk would have been forced to face the former eventually. Refuse again, and he would have likely been stripped of the belt, with Parker elevated instead.

Such a move would have likely seen the WBA move to the top of the rotation, placing the Ukrainian firmly in Wardley's crosshairs and setting up his own world title shot opportunity.

Instead, the pair have gambled on a high-risk, high-reward encounter that could come to define the rest of their boxing career - and which carries serious repercussions for both.

'King of the world' or back to the bottom?

As press conferences go, this is an event without needle. Parker suggests he will smash Wardley. Wardley accepts it as a likely outcome, but still promises to deliver the result.

The face-off that follows is low-key, before both men go their separate ways again, off to conduct further interviews before they return to their bases with just two nights to go.

For heavyweight boxing, so often prone to its showmen - Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Derek Chisora to name but a few - this has been a week of uncharacteristic chumminess.

But make no mistake, both men here are aware that there is plenty to gain and to lose from this encounter - and that for one of them, it could be a long way back to the summit.

The winner likely gets Usyk. Parker's manager David Higgins suggested as much in his own comments, that the Ukrainian's camp are keen to pursue the unified winner next.

The loser, however, gets a long trip back to the bottom. Parker and Wardley have fought tooth-and-nail to reach their place in the pecking order - but boxing is a cruel game.

The permutations are vast. The heavyweight division feels on the cusp of a sea change. Younger stars like Moses Itauma are tearing holes through veterans like Dillian Whyte.

Though only three years younger than his foe, Wardley still feels green to an extent, the result of no amateur career and a rapid ascent through the ranks over the past few years.

Defeat for him would be a roadblock, but not an insurmountable obstacle to a world title challenge. He remains young enough that he can rebuild and come through again.

Parker, though, has had his rebuild - two of them, in fact, if you consider his loss to Joe Joyce set him back a year or so in real time. A third for any star is one hell of a stretch.

He insists he is entering his peak years, and at 33, his suggestion is not without merit. But he arrives with just two rounds banked in a year-and-a-half - far from ideal preparations.

As Parker departs to places unknown, he sits on the cusp of his all or nothing moment. Win here, and he finally gets his all - a shot at undisputed greatness and a place in history.

Lose, and it's nothing - no interim titles, no shot at the crown and perhaps no way back for the New Zealander in his quest to be king of the world again. Roll on Saturday night.

Watch Parker vs Wardley live on DAZN

Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley fight on Saturday, October 25, to become the WBO mandatory challenger to Oleksandr Usyk. Watch the fight and undercard live and exclusive on DAZN PPV.

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