Fabio Wardley lands huge right hand to snatch knockout win from brink of defeat
The hometown hero went into the contest as the favourite to secure the interim WBA heavyweight title and put himself at the front of the queue for a shot at the WBA belt.
But Wardley looked in deep trouble against Australian Huni, a late replacement for intended opponent Jarrell Miller, who pulled out with a shoulder injury at the end of April.
Fabio is home. 💙🥊 pic.twitter.com/GuEFzm87x1
— Ipswich Town (@IpswichTown) June 7, 2025
Heading into the 10th round, Wardley appeared to be well behind on the scorecards and did not seem to have much left but he landed a right hand on the chin of Huni, who was sent to the canvas and counted out.
It was an 18th knockout of 19 wins for 30-year-old Wardley, who remains unbeaten.
He landed a strong shot on Huni, who had won all of his previous 12 fights, at the end of the first round, but by the third round the Australian had begun to take control.
More blows rocked Wardley in the fourth round and by the seventh he was bleeding from the mouth, the speed of Huni causing him all sorts of problems.
The crowd had been quietened with Wardley apparently on the verge of defeat but the atmosphere changed in an instant as he found the perfect response.
Wardley could now be in line for a clash with WBA champion Oleksandr Usyk, who will fight Briton's Daniel Dubois at Wembley next month.
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Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni punch stats revealed with Aussie landing almost three times more power blows before KO loss
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FABIO WARDLEY snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Justis Huni. The 30-year-old produced a stunning tenth-round KO to retain his unbeaten tag. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Fabio Wardley and Justis Huni did battle in Ipswich on Saturday night Credit: Getty 4 Huni (right) landed almost three times as many power punches Credit: PA 4 But the only one that mattered was Wardley's monster KO punch in round 10 Credit: Getty 4 Wardley went into Saturday's bout as the overwhelming favourite. The heavyweight star was fighting infront of his hometown crowd in Ipswich, with Huni a late replacement for Jarrell Miller. But it was the Aussie who dominated the bout from the off at a rain-sodden Portman Road. The punch stats reveal Huni threw 342 punches across the 10 rounds. READ MORE ON BOXING JUST IN TIME Wardley scores huge one-shot comeback KO of Huni to set up stunning title shot Wardley responded with 330 of his own - but landed 117 to Huni's 159. The starkest stat came with the power punches, with Huni letting rip with 114 heavy shots across the contest. Wardley could only muster 49 of his own in response. Huni's dominance had him leading comfortably with all three judges going into the 10th round. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK But Wardley produced a mammoth right hand to KO the Aussie just when it mattered most. Wardley's win puts him in line for a shot at the winner of Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois' unification bout next month. Fabio Wardley faces off with Justis Huni ahead of his homecoming fight Following Saturday's win - his 18th KO victory in 19 fights - The Barista admitted it had been a close call. He said: "I don't profess to be any kind of Usyk or Justis Huni... someone with all the skills. "But one thing I do know is how to win fights, dig deep, find a bit of heart, bite down on the gumshield, find a way to win. "That's one thing I had to do tonight. "I should have performed better in some of the rounds. "It's not always the way it goes. Sometimes you just need to find a different way to win. "So look, we pulled something out of the bag."
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni punch stats revealed with Aussie landing almost three times more power blows before KO loss
FABIO WARDLEY snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Justis Huni. The 30-year-old produced a stunning tenth-round KO to retain his unbeaten tag. 4 4 4 4 Wardley went into Saturday's bout as the overwhelming favourite to take the vacant interim WBA title. The heavyweight star was fighting infront of his hometown crowd in Ipswich, with Huni a late replacement for Jarrell Miller. But it was the Aussie who dominated the bout from the off at a rain-sodden Portman Road. The punch stats reveal Huni threw 342 punches across the 10 rounds. Wardley responded with 330 of his own - but landed just 117 to Huni's 159. The starkest stat came with the power punches, as Huni let rip with 114 heavy shots across the contest. Wardley could only muster 49 of his own in response. The Brit could also out-punch Huni in TWO rounds of the contest. Huni's dominance had him leading comfortably with all three judges going into the 10th round. But Wardley produced a mammoth right hand to KO the Aussie just when it mattered most. Fabio Wardley faces off with Justis Huni ahead of his homecoming fight Wardley's win puts him in line for a shot at the winner of Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois' unification bout next month. Following Saturday's win - his 18th KO victory in 19 fights - The Barista admitted it had been a close call. He said: "I don't profess to be any kind of Usyk or Justis Huni... someone with all the skills. "But one thing I do know is how to win fights, dig deep, find a bit of heart, bite down on the gumshield, find a way to win. "That's one thing I had to do tonight. "I should have performed better in some of the rounds. "It's not always the way it goes. Sometimes you just need to find a different way to win. "So look, we pulled something out of the bag."
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni scorecards revealed with Brit on course for crushing defeat before one-punch KO
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FABIO WARDLEY was facing defeat in the face against Justis Huni - before one punch turned the tide. The Brit looked in real trouble during Saturday's WBA interim heavyweight clash in Ipswich. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Fabio Wardley scored a brilliant win over Justis Huni on Saturday night Credit: Reuters 4 Wardley was outworked and outpunched for much of the bout Credit: Getty 4 But he delivered a remarkable power punch KO in the 10th to keep his unbeaten tag Credit: Getty 4 The scorecards revealed two judges had given Wardley just ONE round before the stoppage Credit: X Fighting on home turf, Wardley was the heavy favourite going into the bout. But Huni dominated from the off, taking control infront of a 20,000-strong crowd at a soggy Portman Road. The Aussie was miles ahead on the cards as the fight entered the championship rounds. From nowhere, Wardley delivered a towering right hand early in the 10th to seal a remarkable victory. READ MORE ON BOXING 'do it for her' Callum Simpson credits late sister for inspiring comeback Ivan Zucco KO The judge's scorecards made grim reading for the 6ft5 heavyweight prior to his stunning KO. Wardley was down on all three cards, with two of the judges giving him just ONE round. One fan gasped on X: "He was down bad too wow." Another said: "I didn't give Wardley a round. The 1st round was close but I thought Huni nicked it with cleaner punches." BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK While a third added: "These were very accurate scorecards in a hometown fight for once." Wardley's promoter Frank Warren described the knockout punch as a "Deontay Wilder moment". Fabio Wardley faces off with Justis Huni ahead of his homecoming fight The win propels Wardley into world title consideration. It was his 18th knockout in 19 professional wins. He said: "I don't profess to being any [Oleksandr] Usyk or Justis Huni who has all the skills. "But I know how to win fights and that's one thing I knew I had to do tonight. "Justis Huni is a great operator. We'd drilled everything over and over again. "I should've performed better in some of those rounds." Huni replaced American Jarrell Miller on short notice. The Australian suffered his first professional defeat after 12 consecutive wins. Referencing the big KO punch, he said: "That's my curse. "I even said before this fight it only takes one second to switch off, it happened tonight."
