Its quite rare for two top 10 fighters who are sitting on respective title shots to fight like this off their own bat. Kudos to both guys for taking the risks and keeping the division moving while the champ recovers.
I think they figure the winner is more likely to get a crack at Usyk than either of them is right now.
Hype? I don't think anyone thinks Parker beats Usyk, but beating 3 top 10 guys in a row should 100% guarantee him a title shot ahead of everyone else, definitely ahead of Wardley.
It's a real pity we didn't get Parker-Dubois. Wardley should be thankful to have been gifted this opportunity because he hasn't earned it. Huni schooled Wardley for 9 rounds, turned his face into a pizza and went within a whisker of stopping him. Hardly the sort of form deserving of a fight with the Interim champion, Parker and potentially a shot at all the titles with Usyk.
In fairness, Whyte was supposed to be a live body. Turns out he wasn’t. Which is why Hrgovic keeps being mentioned as a possible opponent.
This fight is for Parker's WBO Interim title and the winner fights Usyk (well according to the WBO anyway). Yet as of the WBO's last rankings, Wardley wasn't even in their top 15.
He won't be ranked with other bodies as he is interim champ with WBA. The WBO would have agreed to give him a provisional ranking that comes into affect when he steps in the ring while he simultaneously loses the WBA Interim. But if for whatever reason the fight doesn't happen then he keeps his WBA Interim instead of having to drop it for a fight that didn't happen.