Wardley is hoping for a return in the spring, maybe April or May, and it’s better than his first defense to be held in the UK. He wants the first protection at home, where he is familiar with crowds and places. He achieved this by stopping Joseph Parker late at the O2 Arena last November, a victory that put him in line for the belt.
Nothing is finished. Wardley demonstrates that. Dates, locations, and opponents remain flexible, and space dictates the final decision. What has changed is the margin for action. There are no clean fights left.
Mose Itauma sits at the top of the WBO ranking, but his next fight has been pushed back to March. That delay has brought other names into focus. The other names in the rows do not have the same type of fight. Filip Hrgovic and Agit Kabayel are the type to force you to work for every clean minute. Zhilei Zhang changes in size and strength, even in a slow fight. Veteran Derek Chisora is the obvious choice, but he is still turning out to be traded.
Chisora is the most realistic choice at the moment. The reason is time, not safety. He is approaching the 50th fight of his career, which adds weight to the discussion. He always brings danger, even miles away. If Wardley wants defense to silence doubters, Kabayel is the better way to do it than Chisora.
Beyond an initial defense, the division is quickly strengthened. Usyk still holds the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles and dominates the heavyweight division. Wardley admits that a fight with Usyk is only Usyk’s choice. It can come soon. It’s easy not to come.
Tyson Fury remains the next closest name. Anger ended his recent retirement two weeks ago and is already talking about a summer comeback. Wardley admitted that his teammates tried to push him into a fight, but Fury doesn’t appear to be willing to jump straight into a serious situation after a year.
Wardley doesn’t pretend the belt was taken the hard way. He knows how he became a champion. The first defense is where that name starts to matter less.