Fabio Wardley will look to deliver his mandatory shot at undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Wardley is determined to present a new kind of challenge for the masterful Ukrainian.
“I haven’t sat down and dissected it yet, but that’s work for next year,” Wardley said. “It goes wild when you put it all together, but I’m next.”
“I’ve got big broad shoulders, so that’s fine with me, I’ll take all the pressure. But I’m something else.”
“(Usick’s previous opponents) all come from similar backgrounds and ways of doing things, I come from a different school, or non-school, whatever you want to call it. We threw all the regular guys at him, our top dogs. Let me try something different and see where we end up.”
Fabio Wardley goes to war with Joseph Parker
Wardley had no amateur boxing experience. He started out as a white-collar fighter, but went undefeated as a pro. He was a huge underdog against Joseph Parker’s WBO interim title, but scored a huge victory against the New Zealander at the O2 Arena on Saturday night.
The win means Wardley replaces Parker as the mandatory challenger for Usyk’s WBO title, one of four world championships held by Ukraine.
Usyk must now box the Ipswich man if he is to retain his WBO belt.
Wardley once sparred with Usyk in Ukraine, and now believes he will get his dream fight with the undisputed champion in the new year.
“I don’t know how to put it into words. It’s been a goal for a couple of years. It’s been a goal. It’s been all I’ve wanted,” Wardley said.
“Look, here we are. It’s wild to say. One of the generational talents, one of the best to ever do it and all the marbles. I can’t ask for anything more. I can’t ask for anything more in this sport.”
“Like everything else that got me here, all I’ve ever asked for is an opportunity and I’ve got it and I don’t plan to stop here, I don’t plan to go to Usik and say thank you for taking me in and flipping me over. I’m not working on that.”
“So when that bell goes and me and Usyk finally get in the ring, he’s going to have to work for it.
Wardley celebrates his upset win over Parker
There are hopes the Usyk fight could take place in the first quarter of 2026. Wardley is keen to fight him, in Britain or abroad.
“Tell Usika to turn up. Give him the way to Ipswich. I’ll give him my postcode, he can come and meet me in the garden, I don’t care. As long as he’s here, get him the belts, let’s get this over with!” Wardley stated.
“All the bumps in the road, they’re what made me,” he continued. “It’s all built me up and built resilience. All the setbacks, all you guys saying I’m white collar, I’m not going to do it well. It all builds resilience.
“That’s why when I’m in the ring at night, I don’t care if it doesn’t go my way, I don’t care if the judges don’t lift me up. I believe in myself.”
“I’m just riding the wave. It’s been a wild ride, a wild journey and it’s nowhere near over. I’ve got a lot more to do, a lot more to do in the sport and a lot more to come.”