Fabio Wardley was talking about the heavyweight division’s biggest names at last month's inaugural press conference previewing his Joseph Parker matchup this weekend.

“People still have those reservations and question marks,” he said. “I wipe that clean on October 25 and it’s undeniable then that I’m shoulder-to-shoulder with them.”

Many critics still believe Wardley (19-0-1, 18 KOs) is a rung or two below the elite. He promised they will soon find out the hard way against a reinvigorated former champion in 13-year veteran Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) on Saturday night at O2 Arena in London.

Justis Huni found out the brutally hard way June 7.

Judges Pawel Kardyni and Ferlin Marsh scored round two in Wardley’s favour that night, while Bob Williams and Kardyni gave him the third. Besides a share of two rounds, Huni was cruising en route to a career-best win.

Wardley rendered the one-sided scorecards (88-83, 89-82, 89-82) useless with an equaliser that will never get old, his knockout power sending Ipswich's Portman Road into raptures to seal a dramatic but happy homecoming win in the 10th round.

After letting the dust settle and embracing fatherhood later that month, what was the first thing that came to mind when watching his last win back?

“That I took a lot of shots," Wardley told The Ring, half-laughing before quickly turning serious about a criticism of his game he heard plenty in recent years.

“I’m always my own worst critic in that sense. It takes me time to watch it back because, nine times out of 10, there’s things I’m displeased with. That one [against Huni], there were a lot of takeaways – things I did well but also distinctly didn’t – it's prepared me better than if I was to steamroll and run through him in a few minutes.”

Huni’s extensive amateur background from 132-pound schoolboy to Olympic qualifier finalist eight years later took him all over the world. Ending your unpaid apprenticeship with defeat by subsequent two-time Olympic champion Bakhodir Jalolov is no shame.

Wardley’s white-collar background is well-documented, by contrast, and it’s not surprising to hear him reflect on the fight which gave him his biggest learning experience thus far.

“The first Frazer Clarke fight,” he said. “It was the first real test, one where I was in the trenches for a variety of different reasons. Up against a good opponent, strong, tough and durable, got a good boxing skillset, the fight ebbed and flowed, going 12 rounds, me being cut, things not going all to plan. I had to wrestle with a lot and there are things you learn about yourself along the way.”

Much like Huni, Clarke was an esteemed amateur. He went to the aforementioned Olympics, medalled with bronze – after defeat by Jalolov in the semifinals – and turned professional at the age of 30.

The longest Wardley had gone in a fight was the one prior, his first British title defence against David Adeleye (14-2, 13 KOs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia five months earlier.

Wardley’s childhood mentor and longtime coach, Robert Hodgins, told The Sun this week they were game-planning for a future Parker fight as early as that night, having shared the undercard preceding Tyson Fury-Francis Ngannou.

Adeleye had pockets of success in the first three rounds before Wardley took over and dictated proceedings, en route to a vicious seventh-round stoppage.

This month marks two years since that meeting, Wardley one win away from a shot at undisputed championships while Adeleye prepares to rebuild among warmer surroundings in his father’s Nigeria homeland come December 19.

During the build-up to his main event versus New Zealand’s Parker on DAZN Pay-Per-View, much has been said about Wardley watching Anthony Joshua’s points win over Parker as a “boxing casual” in an Ipswich pub seven years ago.

Harmless casual or not, what isn’t mentioned is how an abrupt Facebook message in broken English from an unknown source led to him travelling for sparring with then-undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Preparing for his final 200-pound matchup with Tony Bellew that November, Wardley spent three weeks in the skilled southpaw’s company and the “incredible” experience encouraged him to continue on his journey.

Armed with longtime contender Dillian Whyte in his corner, Wardley would soon enter the public eye on regular Matchroom shows across England and before you knew it, the highlight reel videos haven’t stopped since. He agreed to terms on a full-time deal with Queensberry – having promised Adeleye he’d do so before their fight – and continues passing tests when logic suggests otherwise.

So then, when did his mind shift from maybe I can do this to I belong here?

“I don’t know if it has shifted just yet,” he laughs. “I probably felt like I belonged, well the confidence grew around the British title mark, when I won and defended it.

"So somewhere between Nathan Gorman and Adeleye, those good performances, being happy with them and achieving the British title, everyone knows it’s a prestigious and well-loved belt, you need a high degree of quality to attain that. I was quite proud. That’s when I felt I’m meant to be here and part of this.”

His three-round shootout with Gorman in November 2022 made for thrilling viewing on a Whyte-Jermaine Franklin undercard, before featuring as the chief support to Anthony Joshua’s return bout against the American five months later.

Joshua needed to rebuild after Usyk completed the double over him, delivering a pair of excellent but very different 12-round decision wins one year apart to confirm his status as the new divisional king.

Time waits for no man. Parker, who won, defended and lost WBO world title honours years before Wardley even waded into the conversation as a potential opponent, can’t afford another defeat at this juncture after a six-fight win streak under Andy Lee.

Yet now, the 33-year-old Parker is all that stands between Wardley and a shot at his former sparring partner next year.