Wardley is taking a huge gamble. His nose was badly damaged in the first fight, and the cut on his bridge is an old wound that reopened before.
He also went through many difficult trials throughout his career, sometimes unnecessarily against opponents he was expected to beat comfortably.
This worries me. But I’ve spoken to Wardley several times during the build-up, and he makes a compelling argument for an immediate rematch.
He told me he woke up thinking about reversing the result, but he knew he couldn’t put any more pressure on himself.
He knows what’s at stake. The win puts him in line for huge fights and could propel him to become Britain’s next crossover heavyweight star. Wardley has the personality, character and audience appeal to take on this role.
But another defeat would raise questions, especially if it comes under similar circumstances.
If Wardley loses a close fight, or if a cut forces a stoppage, I don’t think it will hurt him too much. But if he found himself winning another fight and suddenly collapsed, that would be even more alarming.
It’s already being debated whether Wardley is truly world class, but I find that a difficult label to define.
Compared to a world champion like Murat Gassiev, he is more than world class. Compared to a great like Lennox Lewis, that’s not the case.
Boxing is rarely black and white and the term “world class” is fluid.
Gn sports
