Justis Huni expected this moment would come one day, he probably didn’t expect it to come quite so soon.
On Saturday night at Ipswich Town’s Portman Road football stadium, Huni (12-0 with 7 wins inside distance) comes up against local hero Fabio Wardley (18-0-1) in a heavyweight boxing showdown which carries the highest of stakes.
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The victor on Saturday will not only claim the WBA interim heavyweight title, he will also become the mandatory challenger for the full world title currently held by the great Oleksandr Usyk.
That mandatory position means being next in line when Usyk or Daniel Dubois (the pair meet at Wembley on July 19) defend the belt.
A few short weeks ago Huni was not even in the frame for this assignment – instead it was huge American Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller slated to meet Wardley. In fact the pair had even met in Ipswich for the launch press conference.
Huni has game plan ready
But then ‘Big Baby’ pulled out with a shoulder injury, and in stepped Huni for the chance of a lifetime to move potentially within a fight of becoming a world heavyweight champion. It’s a moment he feels entirely ready for.
“I am feeling excited, pumped. I just can’t wait to get in there, share the ring with Fabio and give the fight fans a good fight and the people of Ipswich, so let’s go.
“My ring IQ, my experience in the ring, knowing where I am at all times. It will show on fight night. I’ve done all the training that I’ve needed to do and I am ready to go.
“I’ve got my game plan and I am going to show up on the night and stick to it. It doesn’t really matter what we say here, it is on fight night when we’ve got to put all the training and stuff to the test. I am ready to go and can’t wait to share the ring with him.”
