Fabio Wardley, the current WBO champion, has consistently sought a fight with Oleksandr Usyk since earning the WBO Interim title by knocking out Joseph Parker in October. Wardley’s victory positioned him as Usyk’s mandatory challenger for the undisputed crown. However, Usyk chose to vacate the WBO title, which resulted in Wardley being elevated to full WBO champion status.
Despite Wardley’s demands for a unification bout, Usyk opted for a match against kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven instead. Recently, Usyk indicated his future plans, stating he intends to face the winner of the upcoming Wardley-Dubois fight after the Verhoeven bout, followed by a trilogy series with Tyson Fury to conclude his career.
When reacting to the news that he is on Usyk’s future fight agenda, Wardley expressed caution, admitting he is taking the statement “with a pinch of salt.” He referenced previous instances where he was in conversations with Usyk regarding a fight, both before the Parker match and before the announcement of Wardley’s upcoming bout with Daniel Dubois, only for those plans not to materialize.
Wardley acknowledged that being mentioned in Usyk’s plans is positive and welcomed, but he remains non-committal about immediately planning for a unification fight after his next defense. He explained he won’t assume a fight with Usyk is next simply because he has completed the Dubois match, given the unpredictable nature of boxing negotiations and outcomes. While he welcomes the opportunity, he prefers to wait and see how events unfold.
Before Wardley can test Usyk’s commitment, he must first defend his newly acquired WBO world title on Saturday, May 9, against former IBF titleholder Daniel Dubois.
