Fabio Wardley on dream Oleksandr Usyk fight: ‘I’ll be pushing for my shot’
Fabio Wardley explains how he went from a gruelling 12-round draw with Frazer Clarke to a clinical first-round finish in rematch; Wardley believes he can work his way into contention for a world title shot and eventually become the mandatory challenger for one of Oleksandr Usyk's belts
Thursday 5 June 2025 22:17, UK
Fabio Wardley believes he could become a contender for one of Oleksandr Usyk’s world titles and perhaps even fight the great Ukrainian in 2026.
Wardley became the British heavyweight champion and then shot to prominence when he knocked out Olympic medallist Frazer Clarke in a rematch after their gruelling first fight.
That victory pushed him on to the fringe of world level contention. "You can't put a price on experience in the ring and on the night," Wardley said. "You really can't.
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"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."
Next he fights Australia's Justis Huni for a WBA Interim title. Wardley believes a victory could lead him eventually to become the mandatory challenger for the WBA's full world championship, one of the belts held by Oleksandr Usyk.
"Is this the only fight to get me over the line? Probably not. There's more stepping stones to be done," Wardley said. "Ultimately it is 100 per cent a step in the right direction and a step into that contention."
Usyk's next bout is a July 19 clash with Britain's Daniel Dubois for all four of the major heavyweight championships.
Wardley hopes to be in the frame for his own fight with Usyk in 2026.
"If he's saying he's got two fights left, do I think I would be his next fight?" Wardley reflected. "No.
"By about early next year is when I'll be in a prime spot to push on for one of them actual full-on world titles, whether he's still around at that point or not is only a question for him really. But if he is, I'll 100 per cent be pushing my mandatory [shot] and trying to get that done.
"I did a couple of camps over in Ukraine with him in preparation for his fights. So I've spent time with him, I know him well," he added.
"It would be good to jump in there with someone of his calibre but also someone that I know like that."
