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Fabio Wardley’s knockout win against Justis Huni was the perfect boxing story
Without all the bright lights, emphatic entrances and all the pageantry, boxing is a very simple sport.
It pits two people, regardless of background, against each other, to find out who is the better fighter using their fists.
This past Saturday night at Portman Road, the home of Ipswich Town Football Club, two men, Fabio Wardley and Justis Huni did just that in a thrilling heavyweight matchup.
Unfortunately for those in attendance, it was a stormy night as ponchos and big coats were plenty as the rain kept coming down in East Anglia, but little did those braving the elements realise it was a sign that a storm was brewing in the main event.
Wardley’s rise to headlining at the home of Ipswich Town is inspiring. Not too long ago Wardley was working as a recruitment consultant before falling in love with the sweet science and learning his craft on the white-collar circuit.
Turning professional in 2017, Wardley has become a knockout machine, and after dispatching Frazer Clarke with ease in the first round of their rematch in October, fight fans were hoping for a similar performance on Saturday night.
Australian Huni on the other hand took the more traditional route to this stadium encounter.
Before joining the professional ranks in 2020, Huni boasted a 35-2 (8 KOs) record as an amateur and with a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships, he was well versed in boxing’s fundamentals.
Coming into this showdown with a 12-0 (7 KOs) record, Huni was confident his superior boxing education would give him the advantage against the hard-hitting Wardley.
Huni for the most part was able to back up his confidence from the first to the ninth round. Seizing centre ring, Huni’s shot was selective but effective and the Australian’s ability to disguise his punches kept Wardley guessing who found himself occasionally buzzed from what the Huni was throwing at him.
Then came the tenth session. Behind on all the scorecards, only a gift from the boxing gods in the form of a knockout blow would save Wardley from suffering his first defeat as a professional during what was supposed to be a dream come true.
That gift came with 90 seconds remaining as a trademark Wardley right hand floored Huni and unable to meet the referee’s count.
Wardley’s knockout punch to spark jubilant scenes inside Portman Road typified why this fight was a perfect boxing story.
When Wardley and Huni squared off, what unfolded inside the ring was simply two men, who likely would not have met if it wasn’t for boxing, seeking to find out who is the better fighter.
For a large majority, it looked like Huni’s amateur background would play a part with him seemingly cruising towards a victory, but as is often the case in boxing one punch, especially in the heavyweight division, can change everything.
Wardley’s victorious punch did not follow an eye-catching combination or as a result of slowly grinding his opponent down, it was simply a case of the right punch being thrown at the perfect time.
As Huni struggled to recover, his hard work and showcase of superior boxing IQ from both the amateur and professional ranks had lost its stock, and in the end the result of this memorable clash with Wardley came down to just one single moment where one fighter took advantage.
Without all the scorecards, weeks spent in brutal training camps and the showbiz element, throwing the right punch to claim the spoils is boxing’s fundamental core.
This contest which saw victory snatched from the jaws of defeat was a prime example of why the stories which boxing bouts produce are loved by millions across the world.
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