Fabio Wardley will look to poach Joseph Parker’s interim WBO heavyweight title tonight as the pair face off at the O2 Arena in London.
Parker was set to face Oleksandr Usyk in an undisputed world heavyweight title bout, but has decided to face Wardley rather than wait for the Ukrainian to recover from a back injury.
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW PARKER VS WARDLEY LIVE!
It is a risky move for the New Zealander, who could stand to lose his place in the heavyweight title queue should he fail to beat Wardley.
It will be Parker’s first visit to the ring since February, when he knocked out Martin Baloke, called up as a stand-in after Daniel Dubois dropped out at the last minute.
Wardley came in for criticism after he produced a surprise tenth-round knockout while trailing on the scorecards to beat Justis Huni in his most recent bout, but Parker is not underestimating his opponent.
"People are judging him too harshly on one performance,” he said this week.
"He was getting out-boxed (against Huni) but in boxing they always say it takes one punch and that is the best example, that it takes one punch to change the course of everything.
"We have seen he can carry his power until last rounds, so the preparation is still the same but I need to be even fitter than I was in the last fight."
How to watch Parker vs Wardley
TV channel and live stream: Parker vs Wardley will be broadcast exclusively live in the UK on DAZN pay-per-view.
A pay-per-view pass will cost £24.99, and comes with seven days of free access to DAZN.
The pay-per-view pass is available for free with an annual subscription, worth £14.99 per month.
Live blog: You can also follow the action on Saturday night with Standard Sport’s live blog.
Parker vs Wardley fight time and ring walks
The main card is expected to begin at around 7pm BST, with early build-up fights from approximately 4pm.
Ring walks for the main event are expected at around 10.30pm BST. As ever, the exact timings are subject to change.
