British heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley is setting his sights on a potential showdown with unified king Oleksandr Usyk, believing he could challenge for one of Usyk`s world titles, possibly as early as 2026.
Wardley`s profile surged after he claimed the British heavyweight title and impressively knocked out Olympic medallist Frazer Clarke in their rematch, following a challenging first fight. This victory has placed him firmly on the periphery of world-level contention.
Reflecting on the valuable lessons learned, Wardley stated, “You can’t put a price on experience in the ring and on the night… I learned so much in that first Frazer fight and I just sat down, studied and said I probably don’t want to go through another 12 round war like that again. So let’s knuckle down and figure out what went wrong, what you did wrong and how you can capitalise on that.”
Wardley`s next challenge is against Australia`s Justis Huni for a WBA Interim title. A win in this bout, Wardley suggests, could potentially pave his way to becoming the mandatory challenger for the WBA`s full world championship, one of the belts currently held by Usyk.
He acknowledges that the Huni fight isn`t the final step but is “100 per cent a step in the right direction and a step into that contention.”
Oleksandr Usyk is scheduled to defend his four major heavyweight titles against Britain`s Daniel Dubois on July 19. Wardley hopes to position himself for a fight with Usyk sometime in 2026.
Considering Usyk has indicated he may have only a couple more fights left, Wardley doesn`t necessarily expect to be Usyk`s immediate next opponent. However, he anticipates being “in a prime spot to push on for one of them actual full-on world titles” by early next year.
“Whether he’s still around at that point or not is only a question for him really,” Wardley commented. “But if he is, I’ll 100 per cent be pushing my mandatory [shot] and trying to get that done.”
Wardley revealed he has spent time training with Usyk in Ukraine during past camps, getting to know the champion well. He concluded, “It would be good to jump in there with someone of his calibre but also someone that I know like that.”
Murray Blackwood