Fabio Wardley detonated a bomb of a right hand to stop Justis Huni in the tenth round, pulling off a great escape after the Aussie looked on the way to victory.
Huni had been in complete control and even looked like he might finish the fight at one point but Wardley, fighting in front of a parochial, 20,000-strong home crowd in Ipswich, found the "punch from the gods" he needed to turn it around.
Well up on the cards, Huni will lament squaring up and throwing with the power puncher, who caught the 26-year-old Queenslander flush and ended the bout.
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"That's my curse," Huni said after the bout.
"I even said, before this fight, it only takes one split second to switch off and it happened tonight.
"He's an awesome fighter, he never gave up and he got the win tonight and he deserves it."
The results sees Wardley claim the interim WBA heavyweight title, taking his record to 19-0-1, while Huni tasted defeat for the first time in 13 fights.
"I don't profess to be an Usyk, a Justis Huni, someone with all the skills, but one thing I do know how to do is win fights, dig deep, find a bit of heart, bite down on that gumshield and find a way to win and that's one thing I had to do tonight," Wardley said.
"He's a great boxer, great skills and he showed me everything he had tonight, he pulled out all sorts of different tricks."
Here's how it all went down:
Justis Huni vs. Fabio Wardley result
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
| Wardley | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | ||||
| Huni | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Round 10: Wardley connects with a right hand and Huni goes down! It's over. What a comeback from Wardley.
Round 9: Wardley's corner calling for more activity but he's clearly fatigued. The Englishman responds well and gets on the jab through the opening minute. Huni answers with some sharp combinations after backing his opponent up. More good body work from the Aussie. Huni lands a bomb of a right hand and might fancy himself to get him out of there.
Round 8: Wardley looks demoralised getting off the stool. Huni pushing his man back with ease now. Huni turns it up in the final minute of the round. Wardley showing plenty of ticker but he's out of ideas at the moment.
Round 7: They trade bombs in close, which could be Wardley's best chance at turning this around but Huni is happy to throw with him. The Aussie lands a sharp combination. A quick break as Huni's mouthguard comes out. Wardley wobbled after another left sends him back into the ropes. Huni just misses with a pair of overhand rights but finds the target shortly after.
Round 6: Huni pushes Wardley back with a left at the end of a combination. And again. Wardley is leaving his chin high and Huni is finding it consistently. A right hand finds the mark for Huni late in the round.
Round 5: More sharp work from Huni who wins an exchange with a straight right. Huni warned for a low blow after he gets to work to the body. Wardley misses with a big shot. Huni growing in confidence after another solid round.
Round 4: Wardley comes out fast but Huni is up to the challenge. Huni drives a right hand down the middle. They are trading heavy shots here. Huni pounds away with hooks to the body. Good round for the Australian. Wardley slowing down possibly?
Round 3: Huni again lands with the left hook. Wardley fires back hard but hits the guard. The Englishman pops off a right hook followed by an uppercut. Huni working the body now. Another left hook thunders into Wardley's dome. Aussie ducks under a right hook but gets hit with a left hand which hurts him. Wardley pours it on and steals the round.
Round 2: Wardley gets a little more aggressive from the start. Huni scores with a left hook to the head. Huni gets a warning for a back of the head shot as they clinch. They trade in close. Huni is standing in front of Wardley a touch. Wardley edges that one on the back of slightly more activity, jabbing to the body regularly.
Round 1: A relaxed start from Huni who scores with hooks to the body followed by a right hand upstairs. Wardley looks to land that power right hand but Huni avoids and fires back with a jab on target. Nice opener from the Aussie but he eats a right hand on the bell.
7:20am AEST: The fighters have made the walk and are ready to go. Follow along with our unofficial scorecard.
7:05am AEST: The co-main event is wrapped up, with Pierce O'Leary getting the job done via unanimous decision. Main event imminent.
6:45am AEST: The final bout before the main event is eight rounds down. Huni and Wardley aren't far away now.
How to watch Huni vs. Wardley
All the action will be streamed live globally on DAZN.
WATCH: Fabio Wardley vs. Justis Huni live on DAZN
Justis Huni vs. Fabio Wardley full card results
- Fabio Wardley vs. Justis Huni for the interim WBA heavyweight title
- Pierce O'Leary def. Liam Dillon (PTS 12) for the European super lightweight title
- Lewis Richardson def. Dmitri Protkunas (PTS 6); Middleweights
- Nelson Hysa def. Patrick Korte (TKO 2/10); Heavyweights
- Mike Perez def. Steven Ward (TKO 9/10); Cruiserweights
- Sam Gilley draw. Gideon Onyenani (PTS 8); Middleweights
- Umar Khan def. Moises Garcia (PTS 8); Featherweights