On June 7 (June 8 Japan time), the main event of the Queensberry Promotions card was held at Portman Road Stadium in Ipswich, England: the WBA Interim World Heavyweight Title Bout.
Top-ranked Fabio Wardley (UK) — now 18 wins (17 KOs), 0 losses, 1 draw — faced 7th-ranked Justis Huni (Australia), who came in undefeated with 12 wins (7 KOs). Wardley scored a dramatic comeback KO victory at 1:42 of round 10.
Fighting in his hometown, Wardley received loud support from the crowd. From his crouching style, he used the jab to set up his right straight. Huni, meanwhile, extended his left and landed sharp right hands. Both fighters, known for their aggressive styles, engaged in a fast-paced exchange from the early rounds.
In round 3, Wardley threw a one-two-three combination, but Huni pressed forward and landed a solid left hook. In round 4, Huni advanced, mixing up his left hooks to the body and head and landing a strong right straight that forced Wardley back.
In round 5, Wardley attempted to counter Huni’s pressing left hook with a right uppercut, but it missed the mark. In round 6, Huni landed a leaping left hook followed by a right straight, putting Wardley in serious trouble.
In round 7, during a mid-range exchange, Huni took control with his jab and a one-two combination, followed by a clean left hook, maintaining the upper hand. In round 8, Wardley found himself on the back foot, unable to mount an effective offense, while Huni continued to land sharp left hooks and right straights.
In round 9, Huni showed no signs of slowing down, extending his jab and landing combinations — left hooks and right straights to both head and body — further widening the gap. In round 10, Wardley’s jab had lost speed and failed to reach Huni, who moved lightly on his feet, snapping out jabs and darting in with a right straight. But just then, Wardley landed a counter right straight — flush.
Huni collapsed heavily to the canvas but somehow managed to get back on his feet. However, the damage was severe, and the fight was stopped at that point. With a single, life-saving right hand, Wardley scored a dramatic come-from-behind knockout victory and captured the interim world title.
In the WBA heavyweight division, the Super Champion is Oleksandr Usyk (Ukraine), who remains undefeated with a record of 23 wins (14 KOs). It was announced in March that he will not be obligated to fulfill a mandatory title defense for the next 24 months.
The Regular Champion, Kubrat Pulev (Bulgaria) — 32 wins (14 KOs), 3 losses — is scheduled to face No. 2 contender Michael Hunter (USA) — 24 wins (17 KOs), 1 loss, 2 draws — in a mandatory title defense. The promotional rights for the bout were secured through a purse bid by Hunter’s promoter, Don King, for $1.1 million (approximately ¥160.3 million). The fight is scheduled to take place in the United States on August 23 (August 24 Japan time).
Wardley is mandated to face the winner of Pulev vs. Hunter within 180 days, or by no later than December 31, 2025.
In the co-main event, a 12-round bout for the WBC International Super Lightweight and EBU titles took place. WBC International Champion and WBC No.10 ranked super lightweight Pierce O’Leary (Ireland), who entered with a perfect record of 16 wins (9 KOs), faced Liam Dillon (UK), who had 15 wins (3 KOs), 2 losses, and 1 draw. O’Leary won by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. The scores were 117–112, 116–112, and 115–113.
The WBA has ruled that Usyk will not be required to face a mandatory challenger for two years, but this raises questions about the proliferation of titles seemingly aimed at collecting sanctioning fees.
This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.
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