DEREK CHISORA says Fabio Wardley’s rise from white collar boxer to world title contender is a script fit for any Rocky movie.
Wardley – who faces Joseph Parker on Saturday live on DAZN PPV – only started boxing at 20 after signing up to an unlicensed fight.
And after just four bouts on the white collar circuit – boxing in small venues in Ipswich – the heavy-handed novice turned professional.
Wardley has gone on to become one of Britain’s most exciting fighters, with 18 knockouts in his 19 wins and only a draw blemishing his unbeaten record.
Victory over Parker would put him in line for a sensational shot at Oleksandr Usyk’s world titles – and complete a story Rocky Balboa would be proud of.
Chisora, 41, said on SunSport’s latest No Glove Lost episode: “It’s a great story because you know I’ve shared the ring with Fabio so many times.
“I’ve shared the ring so many times with Fabio. He’s come to Rotherham to spar me like for a week with Don Charles and Finchley.
“I sit here trying to knock Fabio because this is what Rocky film is about.
“You remember when Rocky was trying it and then suddenly you blew up? That’s exactly what Fabio’s done, and now he’s fighting for the eliminator for the WBO title.
“So trying to knock him down is pointless, he’s done amazing for himself and his family.”
Parker vs Wardley – all the info
HEAVYWEIGHT boxing is back on the agenda!
Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley meet in what is expected to be one of the fights of the year.
It all takes place at the O2 Arena on Saturday, October 25, with the pair hoping to take a step closer to world title contention in 2026.
Parker is – bar Oleksandr Usyk – the most in-form heavyweight in boxing, having won his last six fights, including signature wins over Martin Bakole, Zhilei Zhang and Deontay Wilder.
Former white collar star Wardley destroyed Frazer Clarke last October before displaying his devastating power in a come-from-behind win against Justis Huni in June.
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Wardley turned professional in 2017 under his first trainer Rob Hodgins – with the two inseparable since the first day they met.
Hodgins said: “Fab walked into the gym, he wanted to spar.
“It was an ABA gym I was training the guys at. He walked into the gym and he asked if he can spar. I said no!
“I was working on some other kids in the other ring, next thing I turn around and he’s sparring one of the ABA guys.
“And he took a little bit of a hiding, yeah, I do remember that well.”
With a lack of amateur experience, Wardley learned his early craft sparring stars like Usyk, Whyte and Dillian Whyte, who later became his manager.
Hodgins remembers: “He was just determined. He picked up so quickly, quicker than anyone else.
“And he didn’t have the amateur background as you’re well aware of. He was really doing well against all the amateurs.
“And I just thought from there, this guy had a talent, even though a lot of the ABA guys turned our back on us as well, we had a raw talent.
“He sparred the legend Derek Chisora, Delboy took him on very early, they had him as a sparring partner.
“Dillian did, he went and sparred Usyk early in his career. Usyk was still a cruiserweight. He wanted to learn on the job by sparring the very best in the business.”
Wardley’s former opponent David Adeleye – who he knocked out in 2023 – and ex-sparring partner Johnny Fisher – joined Chisora on the panel.
And they hailed Wardley for his inspirational rise in the sport.
Adeleye, 28, said: “You’ve gotta be hungry and that’s exactly what he is, determined, hungry and motivated.
“And you gotta give him his credit, he makes things happen. You put people in front of him, he manages to find a win somehow and so is it surprising? No, he’s a heavyweight. He’s of a certain stature.
“Everyone at that division kind of bangs, so look, he seems to be hungry and motivated, he’s doing what he, what people are asking of him.”
Fisher, 26, added: “You’ve got boxing, and then you’ve got heavyweight boxing, and there are slightly different rules for the athletes in heavyweight boxing. It’s two different sports; you’re big units.
“If you’re athletic, you’re big and you’ve got a sporting background, you can be taught the basics of what a good heavyweight needs to be.
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“And if you’ve got the desire and the fitness and the hunger to do it, you can learn them things and it’s a cliche, but it could be lights out at any moment in this game.
“So that’s why people like Fabio, who won’t mind me saying has come from a white collar background, he’s had 4 white collar fights, he’s now almost at the pinnacle of the sport and you’ve got to give him credit for that.”
