Fabio Wardley could defend WBO heavyweight world championship against Anthony Joshua next year
Anthony Joshua would be eligible to challenge Fabio Wardley in a voluntary defence of the WBO heavyweight world title; Joshua's plan in 2026 is to box in Riyadh in February before potentially fighting Tyson Fury; If the Fury bout cannot be agreed, Joshua could look to challenge Wardley
Friday 28 November 2025 17:02, UK
Fabio Wardley could defend his new WBO world title against Anthony Joshua in his next fight.
Wardley was upgraded to full WBO world heavyweight champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt.
He will have the option of making a voluntary defence of his championship before he has to face a mandatory challenger.
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Former champion Anthony Joshua is currently ranked No 10 with the WBO and so would be eligible to take on Wardley. That fight could happen next year, if Joshua doesn't secure his long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury.
An unexpected bout, scheduled optimistically for eight rounds, against Jake Paul is set for December 19. Joshua will then set his sights back on a path to Tyson Fury, which should align with Saudi Arabia's continuing ambitions to invest in major boxing events.
Joshua is likely to box in February in Riyadh before pursuing a contest with Fury later in 2026.
Hearn explained: "The plan really in the hands of [Saudi financier] Turki Alalshikh was a fight in February in Riyadh and then Tyson Fury.
"That deal is not agreed yet with Tyson Fury as I understand it. So there's not a lot we can do. We're in. We're up for it. We've always been up for it, not a problem.
"Turki Alalshikh's got to make that deal happen - he's not failed yet and we're very confident he can."
A world title fight with Wardley is appealing for Joshua, if the Fury bout cannot be agreed.
"If that can't happen, a fight with Fabio Wardley for the world heavyweight title, why not? That's still the aim," Hearn said.
Jake Paul was a sudden opportunity that arose when Joshua was originally going to take a surprise eight-rounder in November. But AJ still has further ambition.
"This isn't where we're going now, this is just an opportunity we couldn't say no to," Hearn said.
"But 2026 normal business shall be resumed and normal business is to try to become a three-time heavyweight world champion, or to beat Tyson Fury. That's really the aim for 2026."
