Justis Huni might secure a rematch against Fabio Wardley, even though an appeal against the referee`s stoppage is unlikely to succeed, according to promoter Frank Warren.
Wardley, who was behind on the judges` scorecards, delivered a decisive knockout punch in the 10th round on Saturday to stop Huni.
Promoter Warren believes an appeal against the referee`s decision would not be successful, but he noted that this doesn`t rule out the Australian fighter getting another chance against Ipswich`s Wardley.
“People would be interested in that,” Warren said. “It was a good fight, a real edge-of-your-seat encounter. I loved it, especially the ending.”
“It was an unbelievable punch, truly dramatic and captivating, and the whole arena erupted.”
“Wardley wasn`t using his right hand enough,” Warren observed. “He landed it at the end of the first round and it shook Huni. His composure wasn`t great, and things weren`t clicking for him.”
“I could see Huni was vulnerable to that punch, but Wardley wasn`t delivering it.”
However, when Wardley finally connected with his right hand in the 10th round, it was decisive. “He`s a powerful puncher,” Warren stated. “It doesn`t matter who you are, if he hits you clean, you`re going down.”
“Justis isn`t complaining at all. He knew,” Warren added. “If the fight had continued, he would have been seriously hurt.”
Huni has expressed his desire for a rematch. “I`m absolutely devastated,” he commented after the bout. “I felt I was doing everything correctly, boxing intelligently and following the game plan. I got caught – that`s boxing.”
“Congratulations to Fabio. He`s a warrior and he landed the crucial shot. But this is far from over for me. I would definitely welcome a rematch. I took this fight on short notice.”
Mick Francis, Huni`s promoter, commented: “He accepted this fight on short notice, entered a football stadium filled with Wardley supporters, and gave a boxing masterclass for nine rounds. This is just the start of his career.”
“He proved on Saturday night that he belongs among the world`s elite.”
Route to World Championship
As the current WBA Interim champion, Wardley is now in a strong position to become the mandatory challenger for the WBA`s world heavyweight title. This belt is one of the four titles that Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois will contest on July 19.
“He`s now the WBA Interim champion, which puts him in a favorable spot,” Warren stated about Wardley. “We have a major event on July 19 at Wembley with Usyk facing Daniel Dubois. Four heavyweight world titles will be on the line, which is unprecedented in Britain.”
“After that fight, someone will hold those belts, and the sanctioning bodies will require mandatory defenses. Most of these defenses are already due. The first will likely be the WBO, where Joseph Parker is the Interim champion. So, he`s next in line for that. Following that, I believe the WBA mandatory will come into play.”
“These are exciting times for these boxers. They just need to keep winning, and they will get their opportunity to challenge for the world titles.”
“The titles might become fragmented, and if that happens, the Interim champions could be elevated to full champions, requiring them to defend their newly acquired belts.”
“The heavyweight division is incredibly exciting right now. It`s probably the most thrilling period for the heavyweights this century.”
Murray Blackwood