Britain has a new world heavyweight champion and his name is Fabio Wardley.
The 30-year-old from Ipswich has completed a fairytale rise to the very top of boxing’s marquee weight class after undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk relinquished the belt on Monday.
The 38-year-old Ukrainian became undisputed for the second time in 14 months when he destroyed Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in July. He was then ordered to defend against WBO mandatory Joseph Parker but was sidelined by a back injury.
Parker, though he did not need to, then took on a showdown with WBA top contender Wardley in London in October. And it was the Ipswich man who came out on top, producing a stunning late turnaround to force an 11th-round stoppage.
It was the second time in 2025 that Wardley had produced late fireworks to turn round a fight where he was well behind on the scorecards. At Portman Road in June he had produced a punch from the heavens to knock out Australia’s Justis Huni in Round 10.
Wardley completes fairytale rise
For Wardley it is an absolute fairytale, he came into boxing through the white collar scene and had just a few fights before turning pro. He had no meaningful amateur experience.
But since turning over to the paid ranks in 2017 he has built a 20-0-1 pro record, with that win over Parker landing him the coveted spot as mandatory WBO contender. He ascended to the belt when Usyk vacated the title on Monday.
Well deserved for Fabio
The title is well deserved for Wardley, who proved in those fights against Huni and Parker that while he may not be the most technically gifted boxer, he has two absolutely vital attributes. A massive right hand punch and a granite chan.
In both fights he appeared booked for convincing defeats but on both occasions he somehow managed to summon up one late effort to turn the fight around.
It’s an astonishing story, and we look forward to his first defence of the title which should come in early 2026.
As for Usyk, he is not retiring, but clearly does not feel that at this late stage in his career, Wardley is the right fight. We expect him to look for bigger fish, whether it is a trilogy with Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua or a blockbuster with another British sensation Moses Itauma.
