Justis Huni could get a rematch with Fabio Wardley even though appealing the referee’s stoppage would have no merit, says promoter Frank Warren.
With Wardley trailing on the scorecards, he uncorked a knockout finish to halt Huni in the 10th round on Saturday.
Promoter Warren can’t see any attempt to appeal the referee’s call being successful but that doesn’t mean the Australian couldn’t secure a rematch with Ipswich’s Wardley.
“People would buy into that. It was a good fight. It was a really good fight, edge of your seat fight. I loved it, perversely I loved it especially the end of it,” Warren told Sky Sports.
“It was an unbelievable punch, edge of the seat stuff, dramatic and the whole place went crazy.
“[Wardley] just wasn’t letting that right hand go, he did at the end of the first round and he wobbled him. His composure wasn’t great and it wasn’t happening.
“I could see that [Huni] was susceptible to it but he [Wardley] wasn’t firing.”
Huni is counted out by referee John Latham as Wardley wins
But when Wardley did land his right in the 10th round, he made it count. “He’s a powerful puncher,” Warren said. “It doesn’t matter who it is, if he catches you, you go.
“Justis doesn’t complain at all. He knew. If he’d have carried on, he’d have got badly hurt.”
Huni has called for a rematch. “I’m absolutely gutted,” he said after the fight. “I felt like I was doing everything right, just boxing smart and sticking to the plan. I got caught – it happens in this sport.
“Congratulations to Fabio. He’s a warrior and he found the shot he needed. But this isn’t the end for me – not even close. I would absolutely love a rematch. I stepped up at short notice.”
Huni’s promoter Mick Francis said: “He took this fight on short notice, walked into a football stadium full of Wardley fans, and put on a boxing clinic for nine rounds. This is only the beginning of his journey.
“He showed on Saturday night he belongs with the best in the world.”
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Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois had an intense stare-down during their face-off before their fight on July 19
Route to world championship
Now the holder of a WBA Interim title, Wardley is in position to become the mandatory challenger for the WBA’s full world heavyweight championship, one of the four belts Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois will fight for on July 19.
“He’s now the WBA Interim champion, so he’s in a good position,” Warren said of Wardley. “We’ve got the big show on July 19 at Wembley where we’ve got Usyk in with Daniel Dubois. Four belts are on the line for the first time ever [at heavyweight in Britain].
“Once that fight takes place, somebody’s going to hold those belts and then the governing bodies will start calling for their mandatory defences. Most of them are overdue. The first one will be the WBO, which is Joseph Parker, who is the Interim champion for the WBO. So he’s the first one for that. So I think the next one after that probably is the WBA.
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Usyk discusses Dubois low blow from their previous fight, the signal he made after he was pushed in their face-off and the potential to fight Tyson Fury for a third time, just for fun, if he returns to boxing
“It’s great and interesting times for these guys. All they’ve got to do is keep winning and they’ll get their shot at the belts.
“They may fragment and if they do, the Interim champions get declared full champions and then they have to defend their respective titles.
“The heavyweight division’s on fire at the moment. It’s probably been the most exciting time this century for the heavyweight division.”
