'Hard to watch': Justis Huni starts long climb back after Fabio Wardley defeat in England
Justis Huni said it was "hard to watch" Fabio Wardley defeat New Zealand's Joseph Parker to win the WBO interim title and put himself in pole position to fight undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk next.
Huni's next fight will be against a familar face in Kiki Leutele on December 6 on the Gold Coast as the co-main event for Jai Opetaia's title defence against German mandatory challenger, Hüseyin Cinkara (23-0, 19 KOs), with both fights airing on Stan Pay-Per-View.
Ring of Fire: Opetaia v Cinkara will be Live & Exclusive on Stan Pay-Per-View for $50. Click here for more details.
Opetaia, will defend his IBF and Ring titles against Cinkara, 40, as a huge 2026 awaits for the Australian champion.
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Jai Opetaia will fight on Stan on December 6. Getty
For Huni, he's looking to restart his quest for a world title shot and it's the second time he will fight Leutele, after defeating him by unanimous decision in 2022, but this time it will be for the WBO global heavyweight title and WBC Australasian title.
Huni is hoping to rebound after being knocked out in the 10th round against Wardley of in their WBA interim heavyweight title fight in Ipswich, England earlier this year.
Despite being behind on the scorecards, Wardley landed a right hand that stunned Huni, giving him his first professional loss.
He said watching Wardley go on to defeat Parker and set up potentially a huge clash with Usyk was difficult.
"It was hard for me to watch. I wanted Joseph Parker to win that fight so bad because I thought he had what it took to beat Fabio, after being in there with him," Huni told Wide World of Sports on Thursday morning.
"I thought he would have been able to get the job done, but yeah, that's credit to Fabio. He continues to show up.
"I'll just work my way back up there and hopefully get another shot at it."
Justis Huni (right) in action against Fabio Wardley (left) at Portman Road Stadium, Ipswich. Picture date: Saturday June 7, 2025. (Photo by Steven Paston/PA Images via Getty Images) PA Images via Getty Images
Huni said there's no time to sulk in heavyweight boxing and he's keen to move on after taking the fight with lingering injury issues.
"I took that fight knowing I had all these problems
"So I had no expectations. I just thought, you know, I'll give it my best shot. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to go over there so early in my career.
"Look, for me, it was a win-win. I went over there, I won so many fans over there."
As for fighting Leutele for a second time, Huni suggested his options were limited.
"I think it was just something to do with the rankings, he was the only opponent, on this side of the world that could get approved for me to fight to get me back into the rankings. It made sense just to, you know, take that fight again," he said.
"I'm still doing all the, the hard training and preparing for it as if it was another world title fight. Everything is still the same and still going into it with the same mindset."
The card will have seven belts on the line and will also include Aussies Paul Fleming (28-1-1) Jake Wyllie (15-2) and undefeated Olympic heavyweight star Teremoana Teremoana.
