JOSEPH PARKER and Fabio Wardley’s clash has become an all-or-nothing affair after Oleksandr Usyk secretly pledged his promise to fight the winner.
Parker puts his WBO interim title and guaranteed shot at Usyk’s undisputed belts on the line this Saturday – live on DAZN PPV – against Wardley.
But with Usyk looking to have just one more bout until calling time on his legendary career – uncertainty has surrounded his swansong fight.
The masterful Ukrainian is also sidelined with a back injury that gave him a medical exemption to bypass his mandated defence against Parker.
So the road warrior New Zealander rolls the dice by choosing to stay active in the ring – avoiding inactivity while waiting for Usyk’s next move.
But Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren has guaranteed that the weekend’s winner WILL get his shot at Usyk and the unified gold.
Warren said: “You look at the both of them, the superb condition they’re in.
“These guys have trained, they’ve not left no stone unturned. They’re in their best condition on the night and the prize is there for the winner.
“The winner gets to fight Mr Usyk. He gets to fight him for the WBO belt and the other three belts. Mr Usyk has said that he will take that fight early next year.
“That is the prize. It’s all-or-nothing for the winner.”
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Usyk, 38, has teased a trilogy bout with Tyson Fury, 37, despite sending the Gypsy King into his latest retirement after two wins in 2024.
And the heavyweight great is even talking up an MMA clash against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, 28.
But despite seemingly one eye on a cash-grab retirement fight, Parker’s manager David Higgins revealed behind-the-scenes conversations bode well for Kiwi, 33, and Wardley, 30.
Higgins said: “The really exciting thing to emphasise what Frank Warren said, I have to admit I was a little bit cynical about Usyk’s motives a while back. Does he want to keep fighting? Does he want to unify?
“But I was involved in a couple of phone calls that were quite encouraging the other week which suggests to me that Usyk absolutely does value the unified position and will honour it.
“I’m increasingly confident the winner of this fight will get a shot at the undisputed world heavyweight title. So it’s a very exciting eliminator situation.”
