Fall 2018. 23-year-old Fabio Wardley has just stepped off a plane in Kiev after being called to spar against a then cruiserweight named Oleksandr Usyk ahead of his upcoming undisputed world title showdown with Tony Bellew in November.
From there he is picked up by Usyk’s friend and taken in a car ride to his hotel, where the language barrier prevents almost all conversation, where he waits to be picked up the next morning to begin eight weeks in camp with the 2012 Olympic champion.
Six years later, Wardley is the reigning British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion, retaining his belt after an epic split draw against Frazer Clarke in March, and Usyk is preparing for another undisputed clash – this time with Tyson Fury for the top prize in Sport, the World Heavyweight Championship, live on Sky Sports Box Office on Saturday May 18th.
The two months he spent in Ukraine helping Usyk prepare for an eighth-round loss to Bellew continues to benefit Wardley, who had only played four pro contests at that point, and he knows exactly what the WBO, the WBA and… The IBF champion’s partners will compete in sparring as he prepares to fight WBC king Fury.
“Training him was like a mental battle, probably even more than a physical battle,” Wardley said Sky Sports.
“Because he does so many little things to get you excited, to keep you on your toes, to make you think, to make you guess, to make you wonder what his next move is, what his next plan is, like him look will come to you?
“Is he going to go through the same things? Will he do something different? This keeps you under constant pressure, almost as if you notice it too. So there were a lot of little nuances to sparring… that I picked up on over time.
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Former WBO cruiserweight titleholder Johnny Nelson insists Tyson Fury must be the “best version” of himself to beat Oleksandr Usyk in their undisputed heavyweight clash in May
“When I actually met him, his sparring team and everything else, they were so welcoming – such good, genuine, warm people. “I was pretty young and fresh and green at that point and was well looked after the whole time.” But as far as camp goes, there are no fancy tricks, no fancy lights, just nothing fancy – it’s pure courage, hard work and bare bones Bone.”
For Wardley, the pared-down nature of Usyk’s training camp underscores his approach to life in general, where he is unconcerned with fame or material goods, even considering the considerable winnings he has amassed from his high-profile championship fights.
Fury has also said he will continue to shop at budget supermarket chain Aldi as he becomes the first undisputed heavyweight champion since fellow Brit Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999, and Wardley believes Usyk’s determined attitude is a big part of his success makes up.
“I think you can tell he’s not interested in this stuff,” Wardley said. “There’s no part of him where you see him rolling around in a Rolls Royce or wearing a big old gold chain or anything like that.”
Training him was more of a mental battle than a physical battle
“So he doesn’t care much about those aspects and then I think that affects his training as well. He knows that a fancy bag of gold isn’t going to make him a better boxer at all.”
“It just looks better aesthetically, but has no real impact on making him a better fighter or anything like that. So I think, as everyone knows, he’s very grounded, and that’s reflected in the way he fights, the way he trains.
Usyk (21-0 (14)) goes into the undisputed showdown in Riyadh having stopped Daniel Dubois last August, while Fury (34-0-1 (24)) defeated former UFC heavyweight champion Francis in his last fight defeated Ngannou via a split decision in their crossover fight in Saudi Arabia in November.
Wardley expects Usyk’s biggest challenge against Fury to be the size and reach his 6ft 2in opponent will bring to the fight, but also sees areas he can exploit, although he believes the Victory over Dubois raised many questions.
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Oleksandr Usyk says the postponement of his clash with Tyson Fury from February to May has not worried him and believes he can “easily endure three Tyson Furys”.
“Fury can tend to become more relaxed and comfortable with the flow of the fight,” Wardley said. “If it’s progressing at a comfortable pace and he feels like he’s getting his jab in and he’s boxing relatively well, he can easily settle into a very repetitive rhythm.”
“Someone like Usyk can recognize that and freak out very quickly and change the pace and change the scope of the situation, and he can completely change the way the fight looks by once again being sharp, being switched on and completely himself behaves differently.”
“I think both have had questionable performances in the past, which has raised a lot of doubts on both sides. So who is the favorite? Really, I don’t know.”
“I think in terms of the favorites, I think in terms of the people I’ve spoken to, in the industry I think a lot of people are turning to Usyk. More mentality based; I think he’s more focused on the task at hand, focused on the work and more dedicated to the task at hand.”
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A look back at the best of Tyson Fury’s memorable press conference ahead of his big undisputed heavyweight clash with Oleksandr Usyk on May 18, live on Sky Sports Box Office
How to book Fury vs Usyk at the Sky Sports box office
It is one of the biggest sporting events in a generation. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk collide for the undisputed world heavyweight championship on Saturday May 18th, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book the fight now.