"The WBO is yet to officially confirm Wardley's ascent to the vacant title, but his promoter Frank Warren believes it is a done deal. Warren wrote on X: Britain has a new heavyweight world champion and a new star of the sport. One of the most incredible stories I've seen in my 45 years as a promoter and I could not be prouder of @FabioWardley. Some huge fights ahead for 2026 as he defends his WBO belt and creates a true legacy in the sport."
"Fabio Wardley will be upgraded to WBO heavyweight champion after Oleksandr Usyk elected to relinquish the title and his undisputed status rather than defend it against the unbeaten Briton. Wardley started his career in white-collar boxing before turning professional in 2017 and racking up 17 straight wins. After fighting a split-decision draw against Frazer Clarke in March 2024, he beat Clarke in one round seven months later and subsequently came from behind to stop Justis Huni and earn his shot at Parker."
Fabio Wardley will be elevated to WBO heavyweight champion after Oleksandr Usyk relinquished the belt and his undisputed status rather than defend against the unbeaten Briton. Wardley won the interim WBO title by stopping Joseph Parker in the 11th round last month and had been mandated to face Usyk before the end of September. Usyk unified the world titles by beating Daniel Dubois in July and then formally informed the WBO that he would vacate the title. The WBO has yet to officially confirm the vacancy outcome, but promoter Frank Warren hailed Wardley as a new world champion and forecast major fights in 2026.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]