Two undefeated British heavyweight prospects, Fabio Wardley and David Adeleye, are set to collide in a high-stakes showdown on Saturday, Oct. 28, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This 12-round battle between emerging stars will serve as the chief support contest for the historic face-off between WBC and lineal heavyweight boxing world champion Tyson Fury and lineal MMA heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou.
This premier combat sports event, which marks the start of Riyadh Season, the world’s largest entertainment event, promises a night of thrilling action delivered by the heavyweight division, featuring former WBO world champion Joseph Parker taking on Canada’s Simon Kean and heavy-hitting puncher Arslanbek Makhmudov facing Croatian veteran Agron Smakici in 10-round clashes.
Adding to the excitement, 18-year-old heavyweight sensation Moses Itauma will enter a special six-round attraction.
This heavyweight spectacle will be available on pay-per-view in the United States, promoted by Queensberry, Top Rank, and GIMIK Fight Promotions, along with Eye Of The Tiger, promoter of Kean and Makhmudov.
Fabio Wardley (16-0, 15 KOs) from Ipswich, who became English champion in 2021, is coming off a fourth-round TKO victory over Michael Coffie in April. David Adeleye (12-0, 11 KOs) is the current WBO European champion, having won his maiden professional title by defeating the previously unbeaten Dmytro Bezus at York Hall in February.
The rivalry between Adeleye and Wardley reached a boiling point at the Fury-Ngannou press conference in London, with both fighters and their camps involved in a brawl on the red carpet, leaving Wardley with cuts above his left eye and under his chin.
“I’ve got a clean bill of health,” Wardley said. “Nothing has changed. I am still feeling strong, moving hard, and hitting new numbers.
“I don’t know how to quantify how my desire to win by knockout has increased after what happened but, yes, substantially. Massively, because I am a professional person and I like to act like a professional, but if you want to go early, then that’s fine, and I am ready to go at any minute.
“When those situations occur, all it does is fuel the fire more. All you have done is made it worse for yourself. You’ve made me train harder, you’ve made me work for it more, you’ve made me want it more.”
Adeleye said, “I’m really looking forward to competing on the global stage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Everywhere I go, people are talking about this fight. I intend to put on a show and display why I’m the best young heavyweight out there.”
In the heavyweight division, Joseph Parker (32-3, 22 KOs) will aim to make his mark, while Simon Kean (23-1, 22 KOs) and Arslanbek Makhmudov (17-0, 16 KOs) look to continue their impressive winning streaks.
Parker, who captured the WBO crown in 2016, has had a successful 2023, with wins over Jack Massey and Faiga Opelu. On the other hand, Kean won the WBC International Silver championship in 2019 and recorded eight straight victories via knockout.
This heavyweight extravaganza promises an electrifying night of fights in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Source link
