Ipswich fighter Fabio Wardley is the newest champion in the heavyweight division.
Wardley did not win the belt in the ring in 2025, though he did put on two impressive displays following an impressive first-round KO of Frazer Clarke in their rematch in late 2024.
The first saw him come from behind on the cards, having been largely outboxed in the early rounds, to land some huge shots on Justis Huni and KO him late on.
When he stepped up to fight for a mandatory position to challenge Oleksandr Usyk against the in-form Joseph Parker, much the same happened. Wardley, who has only a white collar background in the sport, was falling behind on the cards as Parker boxed smart, but landed a big right hand late on and the referee was forced to stop the fight.
When undisputed champion Usyk vacated his WBO rather than defend against new mandatory Wardley, the Brit was elevated to full champion late last year.
He is now looking to make some big defences in 2026 and Boxing Scene has shared that former WBC ruler Tyson Fury is “up for challenging WBO heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley” along with his latest post on social media claiming he is in for a big year.
“Big smoke for the GK after a long lay off could be an option for later in 2026 God willing.”
Fury was retired for all of 2025 following two consecutive losses to Usyk in 2024, but is now back in training and looking to return to the ring. Wardley has responded, expressing a keen interest in the match-up.
