Can Fabio Wardley Defy The Odds & Become World Heavyweight Champion?
Boxing is a sport that can produce remarkable stories and fairytale endings. At the moment, few boxers have a story that is as captivating as Fabio Wardley. Not only had the Ipswich-born man not laced up a glove until he turned 20, but he is one of the few world-rated heavyweights in history to have got to the higher echelons of the professional ranks without having an amateur bout.
Generally speaking, the top professionals often find themselves with the most notable promoters because of their prowess in the amateur game. However, Fabio took one of the most unusual routes to the top of the heavyweight division we have seen for quite some time.
Over the last decade, the way that boxers and sports marketers operate has changed significantly. Ultimately, those fighters who can tap into the potential of social media can sell their own brands directly to their base. If they are a knockout artist or have a particularly engaging or entertaining style, they’ll often go viral on sites like TikTok and YouTube.
Breaking Down The Betting Odds
With so many different sports betting markets out there, it’s always a good idea to shop around and find the best odds for your chosen market. In a world where niche sports are becoming increasingly more visible in the industry, gambling companies are spending large sums of money on marketing to get as many people through their digital doors as possible.
Professional video gaming is a niche that has caught on over the last decade. While the eSports odds at Thunderpick give an insight into just how large some of these markets are, ultimately, it’s all about how much action the overarching sports get. Boxing goes through ups and downs; sometimes it’s big news, sometimes there are weeks without any headlines.
The eSports odds and betting markets are the same. As you can see in the link below, prominent tournaments like the PGL generate massive hysteria and betting action, but during the off-season, we see a pretty big dip in popularity and social media engagement. Boxing is the same, but when it comes to outright markets, they often buzz away in the background.
Can Fabio Topple Usyk?
It’d be remarkable, wouldn’t it? A white-collar fighter with no amateur background taking down a man who is one of the greatest amateur boxers of all time, and one of the greatest boxers of the 21st century.
When the Ukrainian moved up from cruiserweight, there were few outside of the sport who thought he had what it took to dethrone the likes of Fury and Joshua, men who are several stones heavier than him.
However, by becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion in a quarter of a century, Usyk got his hands on all the marbles and cemented himself head and shoulders above any other heavyweight of this generation.
Technically speaking, Usyk is a dimension above Wardley. But boxing, especially heavyweight boxing, can be down to heart, power, and the ability to pull it out of the bag when it matters.
Joseph Parker recently made the same mistake of underestimating Fabio Wardley. While Usyk is obviously a level above the New Zealander, if this complacency creeps into Usyk’s game, and the fact that he will soon be 39, who knows whether it could be the time for Wardley? One thing is for sure: he wouldn’t roll over, and he wouldn’t step in the ring just for the paycheque; he would leave it all on the line.
That said, the bookies have Usyk as a considerable favorite, despite the fight not yet being announced; time waits for no man. It would take courage to bet against someone like Usyk, though – a generational icon of the sport who could’ve mixed it with the very best.
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Post-Usyk Vacuum?
When Usyk retires within the next couple of years, there’ll be a cluster of heavyweights who all believe they’ll have what it takes to become champion. Agit Kabayel could be one, Joe Parker might be able to reclaim his position, but his loss to Wardley has definitely set him back a few paces, and the heir-apparent, Moses Itauma, who is still only 20 years old.
Few heavyweights are willing to step in the ring with Itauma, and his promoter, Frank Warren, is having great difficulty matching him up with someone who can give him rounds.
Wardley has shown some weakness, though. He was comprehensively outboxed by Justis Huni for 9 rounds, and Frazer Clarke had significant success in the first fight. What he has in heart, toughness and power, he also lacks in defense and balance. Somebody like Itauma, if he keeps developing the way he has, will be kryptonite to someone like Wardley.
However, life is all about timing, and if Fabio can either catch Usyk on the way down, or a shot comes up against someone like Dubois or even Kabayel or Parker again, there’s no reason the Ipswich man can’t get his hands on a legitimate world title before he calls it a day.
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