After being promoted from interim to full WBO world champion, Fabio Wardley he now has a long list of contenders looking to challenge him.
As a possible clash with heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk – who relinquished the WBO strap to a rather fan-faced Briton earlier this month – remains out of sight, Wardley is trying to earn the right to be champion in his first defense.
The WBO’s top contender is of course Moses Itauma, but he happens to share a gym with Wardley and seems to be moving in a different direction.
Perhaps the pair could come to terms with Itauma training alongside Ben Davison and Wardley and sticking with head coach Robert Hodgins. However, there are at least three other suitable candidates for the Ipswich man to defend his title against in 2026…
Daniel Dubois
Former world champion Daniel Dubois has emerged as a tempting option for Wardley as a number four in the WBO rankings.
After he withdrew from his IBF final eliminator with Frank Sanchezthe way is now clear for Dubois to jump right back into world title contention.
And despite his fifth-round defeat to Usyk last July, ‘Dynamite’ is still regarded alongside Wardley as one of the most ferocious punchers in his division, suggesting their potential bout could only bring fireworks.
Filip Hrgović
With back-to-back points wins over Joe Joyce and David Adeley, rugged contender Filip Hrgovic now finds himself in a favorable No. 2 spot in the WBO rankings.
More than anything, it would be interesting to see how his remarkable durability stacks up against the raw power of Wardley, whose explosive fists have produced 19 stoppages in 21 professional outings.
Wardley would probably go into their eventual contest as favourite, but Hrgovic could still put the 30-year-old’s goalscoring instincts to a firm test – although Joseph Parker recently tried and failed to do the same.
Zhilei Zhang
Many believe Zhilei Zhang was mercilessly exposed against Agit Kabayel, who expertly broke him with body shots in February before orchestrating a sixth-round finish.
However, Wardley is yet to face a puncher as powerful as Zhang, whose WBO ranking of third places him in a strong position.
The ‘Big Bang’ is of course nearing the end of his career at the age of 42, although recent performances would suggest he remains serviceable enough to provide Wardley with an interesting test.
