FABIO WARDLEY cannot believe he's gone from white collar brawls in Ipswich clubs to a mega-money Saudi Arabia showdown featuring Mike Tyson.
Eight years ago the 27-year-old was working in a recruitment office and playing football at the weekends, before doing four unlicensed fights just for fun.
But on Saturday night he defends his British heavyweight title against David Adeleye, on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, where Mike Tyson will be in the Cameroon MMA fighter's corner.
Even for the bonkers world of boxing, it's some turnaround for the Suffolk Puncher who, thanks to being mentored by Dillian Whyte, is not far off a world title shot.
"It’s a funny old world," he grinned.
"It has been a wild ride and I’m really proud of it and happy to be able to ride it to the full extent.
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"I started on small-hall shows selling tickets, little obscure shows in the middle of nowhere.
"I used to look at big shows and thing to myself ‘maybe I’ll have one big fight… I’ll have one big fight and end my career there’.
"I thought I might fight for the Southern Area or the English or maybe the British but it would be just one big fight, the last dance of my career.
"But now I've done it 10 times over. I just kept my head down and kept grinding and by the time I looked up I realised I’m in the thick of it.
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"I always say I feel like I’ve gone from one side of the TV to the other.
"I’ve gone from being someone sat there watching it to the one in the main event. It’s a funny old world."
It was only a couple of years ago that Wardley's best boxing credentials were sparring sessions with Whyte and Oleksandr Usyk.
Now he is a 16-0 pro with the Lonsdale belt and – if he gets past Adeleye – will be near the front of the queue if a December undisputed decider between Fury and Usyk leads to the belts being fragmented afterwards.
The modest ace said: "The division will be wide open in a couple of years.
All the big names are at the back end of their careers.
"They all have maybe 1-2 years left, a few big fights each and then they will say ‘I’m good’.
"That leaves the door open for me and a few others in the division to move forward. Especially in British boxing, I’m at the forefront and I’m the next one.
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"It’s a great position for me to be in. I can have a few more learning fights, tick off awesome milestones and by the time those doors open I’ll be fully fledged and ready to go.
"The big boys are still there doing their thing but I’m not that many steps behind.
|It’s an interesting thought and a funny place to be – in four or five fights fighting for a world title. It’s quite a surreal moment to stop and have a look at."
Another far-fetched pipe dream would have been taking big-time boxing to Ipswich Town's Portman Road.
But now the Tractor Boys are ripping up the Championship, local legend Ed Sheeran is a superstar and Wardley is on the rise, it's a tangible target.
Wardley said: "We were flirting with the idea of a stadium show before this but to do those things you have to have the right fight at the right time.
"You have to build yourself, the right profile and fan base over time so that people want to come out and support you. You have to do the right things on the way, and this is another one to tick off.
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"Me and Ed are not best mates yet – hopefully this fight can bring us closer together!
"He’s at the games sometimes but we haven’t crossed paths yet. I’m a fan of some of his music for sure."
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