Pyrotechnics are launched into the darkness of the Cardiff sky as Anthony Joshua milks every second of a four-minute ring walk. It is March 2018 and heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker is waiting in the ring on the biggest night of his life. There are 78,000 people in the stands for this undisputed showdown. As Michael Buffer announces, there are also millions watching around the world. One of those, 240 miles away at The Plough in Ipswich, is Fabio Wardley.
“I was sitting in a pub with my mates watching his fight against AJ,” Wardley tells Standard Sport. “That was the first time I’d seen Parker. He was a world champion ten years ago. I was a couple of fights into a white-collar career. It’s a funny one if I look at those things side by side, where I was and where he was. Now is not the time for reflection. After the job is done we can look back on what a crazy ride it’s been.”
