FABIO WARDLEY has gone from wrecking opponents on the White Collar scene to heavyweight champion of the world in less than ten years.
The reigning WBO king began his boxing journey on the popular circuit while working in recruitment at the late age of 20.
Sign up for the Sport newsletter
Thank you!
Fabio Wardley is currently the WBO heavyweight champion of the world Credit: REUTERS
Wardley began his boxing career on the white-collar scene and turned pro after just four fights
He fought at the level a mere FOUR times before turning professional in 2017 and hasn’t looked back since.
Like all but one of his professional opponents, Wardley’s four white-collar foes were brutally stopped.
The penultimate opponent of Wardley’s white-collar career was 2011 57kg ABA finalist Eric Sutton, who took their fight ten years ago on TWO DAYS’ notice.
Sutton, who stands at 5’7, had ballooned up to nearly more than DOUBLE what he weighed for his ill-fated clash with Ted Cheeseman, but was accustomed to throwing down with the big boys.
READ MORE ON WARDLEY VS DUBOIS
WAR LORD
Wardley’s a family man, but he’s ‘crazy’ like every fighter when around the boys
FULL POWER
Get £40 in football free bets when you stake just £5 with Paddy Power
Eric Sutton was the penultimate opponent of Fabio Wardley’s white-collar career
He fought the future WBO heavyweight champ just hours after being involved in a car crash
But he didn’t know how much of a big boy he’d be facing until he saw the man mountain Wardley stride to the ring.
In an exclusive sitdown with JattvibeSport, he recalled: “As he was walking out to the ring for the first time, I just saw this big, tall thing with a white hood up. And I thought, ‘What the hell is that?’
“‘I’ve gotta fight him here? Jesus Christ.’ Any normal human being would probably have turned around and said, ‘We’ll leave it.’
“Even if it did cross my mind, I’ve gone down there with a car full of fighters. So I can’t say, ‘Oh, I’m not fighting now.’ Because you’ll just get the Mick taken out of you all the way home.
SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS
The Home of Boxing in 2026
There’s a massive year of boxing ahead!
It’s shaping up to be a blockbuster year of action inside the boxing ring.
Oleksandr Usyk takes on the king of kickboxing Rico Verhoeven and Fabio Wardley will defend his newly won heavyweight crown against fellow Brit Daniel Dubois.
Anthony Joshua returns to the ring in July to face Kristian Prenga ahead of a potential blockbuster bout against Tyson Fury later in the year.
Canelo Alvarez will be hoping to make a comeback after his defeat to Terence Crawford, while Dave Allen will also be looking to get back to winning ways against Filip Hrgovic.
A whole bunch of British stars could also take a leap into superstardom, with the likes of Moses Itauma, Hamzah Sheeraz and Adam Azim ready to join the very top of the sport.
Here’s all the big fights coming up…
May
Sat 9 – Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois – WBO title – DAZN PPV
Sat 16 – Dave Allen vs Filip Hrgovic – DAZN
Sat 23 – Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven – WBC title – DAZN
June
Sat 6 – Fame Fighting v Misfits Boxing – The Jattvibe
Sat 6 – Dalton Smith vs Alberto Puello – WBC super lightweight title – DAZN
Sat 13 – Tommy Fury vs Eddie Hall – DAZN
Sat 20 – Ryan Garner vs Michael Magnesi – DAZN
Sat 27 – Xander Zayas vs Jaron Ennis – DAZN
July
Sat 25 – Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga – DAZN
*If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenue.
Eric Sutton recalled his white-collar clash with Fabio Wardley in an exclusive sitdown with JattvibeSport Credit: SUNSPORT
“It never, never crossed my mind to run away.”
The journey down from Manchester to Ipswich for the fight lives as much in the memory of Sutton as his first impression of the future heavyweight champion..
“It took us a fair few hours to get there,” he said. “It wasn’t too bad, until we got about half an hour away and then a car smashed straight into the back of us.
“Obviously, [it] damaged the car [and gave] everyone whiplash. Then I had to go and fight Fabio.”
Sutton would have more whiplash inflicted on him just a few hours after the crash courtesy of a quick first-round stoppage loss.
The four-hour trip to East Anglia wasn’t a financially fruitful one either, as he pocketed a mere £150 for his troubles.
But he insisted: “Beggars can’t be choosers. Money‘s money.
“I thought ‘I’ve done it hundreds and hundreds of times before that.’
“And it’s normally like you get in, you just let them coast through the fight and win.
“But obviously that wasn’t the case with Fabio.”
Fabio Wardley makes his first defence of the WBO heavyweight title against Daniel Dubois on Saturday night Credit: PA
Eric Sutton was in attendance at the pair’s final pre-fight presser with his son Credit: SUNSPORT
He ran into his old opponent after the presser Credit: SUNSPORT
They took part in a face-off after having a warm embrace Credit: SUNSPORT
Sutton was bitterly disappointed with his performance, so much so that he APOLOGISED to Wardley for not giving him more minutes.
Recalling the post-fight apology, he said: “I said, ‘I wish it could have been a better fight.’
“But he was fine with it. He was like, ‘No worries, mate. Thank you for coming down. Very polite.”
Polite is something Wardley won’t be on Saturday night when he makes the first defence of his WBO heavyweight title against Daniel Dubois in Manchester.
And Sutton has no doubt in his mind that we’ll hear “AND STILL” once the Co-op Arena clash has come to a halt.
He said of his old foe: “He’s fast and explosive and he’s obviously unorthodox.
“Whereas I think Dubois, as heavy as he hits, I think he’s quite slow and stiff.
“Not slow, he’s quite stiff. I don’t think he’s got the same fluency and movement, as say like Wardley, to even see the shots coming.
“I think he throws shots from mad angles that you don’t really [see].
“Not like a normal boxer would. Like you’re saying, all of his other opponents have said how unorthodox and how crazy his style is.
“So I think Fabio beats him.”
