Frank Warren is eyeing a March date for Fabio Wardley’s mandatory shot at undisputed heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk.
The Ipswich puncher snatched the WBO interim heavyweight title from Joseph Parker on Saturday night in a fight for the ages.
Trailling on the scorecards, Wardley flipped the script as he rained down a barrage of unanswered blows against the ropes in the 11th round to close the show.
The 30-year-old is now next in line to box Usyk after the WBO ordered the Ukrainian to face the winner of the high-stakes heavyweight clash.
If Usyk opts to go another route, then Wardley will be upgraded to full world champion, although every indication points towards ‘The Cat’ taking the fight.
Wardley’s promoter, Warren, is hoping to lock the bout in for the first quarter of 2026, with Riyadh or London’s Wembley Stadium earmarked as potential sites.
What did Frank Warren say about Oleksandr Usyk vs Fabio Wardley?
“The fight [between Usyk and Wardley] has been ordered, so there will be a period of negotiations now,” Warren told assembled media at the post-fight press conference.
“And if we can’t reach an agreement, then it will go out for purse bids. I believe we will reach an agreement.
“The fight won’t be until next year, of course. I think it will be sometime in March…
“I’d love it to be in the UK, but there are only two places for this fight, and that’s either in Riyadh or here in London, that’s it.
“I’d do it at Wembley Stadium and it would be a sell-out.
“You know what you’re getting with Usyk, and you know what you’re getting with Fabio; it’s going to be exciting.
“Fabio has got to be one of the most exciting fighters in the world.
“As a draw, Fabio is one of the biggest draws in boxing.
“In his last fight at Ipswich, he drew 27,000 people to a football stadium in heavy rain.
“Then tonight shows he’s a massive attraction, and it will only get bigger.”
Wardley’s rise through the ranks has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Coming to the sport late, with no amateur experience and only a handful of white collar fights to his name, Wardley has repeatedly exceeded expectations.
He opened up as a 3/1 underdog with the bookies against Parker, and his odds will undoubtedly be even slimmer when he takes on modern great Usyk.
But as Wardley has proved time and time again, his ability to turn a fight on its head in his instant means he can’t be counted out against anyone.
