Parker vs Wardley: New Zealander says he will “smash” Briton on Saturday

Ipswich fighter Wardley’s rise through the heavyweight ranks has been nothing short of remarkable.

Having only taken up boxing aged 20, he began in the unlicensed white-collar scene before turning professional.

In response to Parker’s comments, Wardley remained unfazed.

“For me it’s nothing new. I relish the challenge,” he added. “I look forward to stepping up. Proving people wrong, proving doubters wrong, and that I belong very much at this top level.”

Having shown his quality at domestic level with notable victories over David Adeleye and Frazer Clarke, Wardley produced a stunning one-punch 10th-round knockout of Australian Justis Huni in in June – despite trailing on the scorecards at the time.

But he believes his knockout record – 18 of them in 19 wins and one draw – sometimes overshadows his technical ability.

“Just because my record is littered with highlight-reel knockouts, I think people get distracted by that and take away my actual boxing skills which set up those punches or brought me to those moments,” said Wardley.

“If you think I’ll be running around that ring with my right hand ready to go, then there’s a lot more you and the team will need to prepare for.”

As the news conference drew to a close, Parker repeated his earlier statement when asked for a final message for Wardley.

“I’m going to smash you,” he added, although there was little real animosity between the pair despite the fiery words as they ended the obligatory face-off with smiles and a handshake.