Last Updated on October 22, 2025 by Boxing Schedule
The O2 in London has seen its share of heavyweight nights. Some were coronations, some were funerals. On October 25, it hosts another gamble: Joseph Parker, the seasoned ex-champ from New Zealand, against Fabio Wardley, the unbeaten knockout artist who thinks experience is just another word for slow legs. DAZN will stream it worldwide on pay-per-view, Queensberry stamping the bill All or Nothing. For once, the tagline isn’t hyperbole.
Parker comes in with scars, and he carries them well. At 32, he’s been a world champion, been written off, and clawed back with the kind of wins that harden reputations. He outpointed Deontay Wilder, punished Zhilei Zhang, and flattened Martin Bakole in two. These days he doesn’t just win — he strips opponents of their illusions. There’s a quiet menace about him now, a man who has stopped trying to impress and started trying to end nights early.
Wardley doesn’t do quiet. The Ipswich heavyweight talks like he hits — blunt, fast, without much subtlety. He comes with 19 wins, 18 of them by stoppage, and a reputation for blowing through men before they know what hit them. Justis Huni boxed him silly for nine rounds, then Wardley detonated one right hand and the argument was over. Frazer Clarke went the distance in their first fight; in the rematch, he lasted one round. That’s the danger Parker walks into: Wardley doesn’t need time, he just needs a mistake.
A Collision of Styles and Eras
This is the kind of heavyweight pairing boxing has lived on for a century. The seasoned hand against the raw hammer. It recalls Lennox Lewis facing Frank Bruno, or Larry Holmes teaching Gerry Cooney what it meant to be world-class. Sometimes the veteran holds the line. Sometimes the kid lands and the whole narrative shatters.
Parker’s advantages are real: a proven chin, the experience of 39 fights, the patience to drag men into the late rounds and drown them. Wardley’s are simpler, but just as deadly: he hits harder, he believes he can’t lose, and he has a London crowd behind him that will roar every time he so much as grazes Parker’s guard.
The Stakes Couldn’t Be Clearer
Promoter Frank Warren put it in plain English at the press conference:
“Both are Interim champions. Usyk is out for 90 days. The winner will be the man who will be the next challenger to Usyk.”
For Parker, it’s another climb toward the summit he once held. For Wardley, it’s a chance to skip the queue and turn himself from domestic curiosity into genuine world-title contender. One man is defending his place. The other is demanding one.
Beyond the Headliners
The undercard at The O2 is designed to keep the crowd hot. Denzel Bentley defends his middleweight spot against Endry Saavedra, Lewis Edmondson meets Ezra Taylor at light heavyweight, and Royston Barney-Smith faces Danny Quartermaine in a super featherweight clash. Good, solid fights that keep the rhythm until the big men walk.
Tickets run from £65 to over £400, DAZN PPV tagged at £25.99 in the UK, $59.99 in the States. Promoters don’t call it “All or Nothing” for nothing.
How It Might Break
If Parker keeps his head, stays behind the jab, leans on the body, and drags Wardley into the championship rounds, he wins. Maybe on points, maybe with a late stoppage when the younger man’s legs go heavy.
If Wardley gets close early, if he rattles Parker’s chin before the rhythm sets in, this could end in three. That’s the roll of the dice.
The Old Scrub’s Word
I’ve seen enough of Parker to know he’s the kind of fighter who doesn’t beat himself. Steady, solid, never reckless. Against a puncher like Wardley, that matters. He should win.
But I’ve also seen enough of heavyweights to know “should” is a worthless word. Wardley’s right hand is the great equalizer, the thing that makes prediction feel like arrogance.
Maybe Parker survives, maybe he doesn’t. That’s boxing: a sport where the past only counts until the next punch lands. On October 25, we’ll see if Parker’s experience still means something — or if Wardley smashes it into irrelevance.
Event Details
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Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025
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Venue: The O2 Arena, London
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Start Time:
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UK: Main card 8 PM BST / Ring walks ~10:30 PM BST
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USA: Main card 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT / Ring walks ~5:30 PM ET
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Streaming: DAZN PPV
Undercard:
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Joseph Parker vs Fabio Wardley – Heavyweight, 12 rounds
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Denzel Bentley vs Endry Saavedra – Middleweight, 12 rounds
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Lewis Edmondson vs Ezra Taylor – Light Heavyweight
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Royston Barney-Smith vs Danny Quartermaine – Super Featherweight