ANALYTICAL TITLE: FABIO WARDLEY 'S 'BITTERSWEET' BELT; TAUNTS TOP 5
New WBO heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley speaks out. He wanted to win the belt from Usyk in the ring and is now calling out all top contenders for his first defence.
Fabio Wardley, the new WBO world heavyweight champ with a record of 20-0-1 (19 KOs), told Queensberry Promotions he'd rather have won the belt in the ring after a knockout win. He also addressed the question of whether he thinks Oleksandr Usyk is avoiding him.
The Ipswich native became the WBO world heavyweight titleholder after the Ukrainian undisputed champ chose to give up the belt instead of facing him as a mandatory challenger.
Wardley admits he'd have preferred to win the title in a fight. Still, the 30-year-old, who started boxing after working as a recruitment consultant, isn't complaining too much about his good luck.
He earned his spot as the division's top contender with wins over Frazer Clarke, Justus Huni, and Joseph Parker.
Am I dreaming? The Brit joked in his conversation with Queensberry. You can say how you want things to go, but boxing careers rarely follow the plan. Mine seems to be on track. I still don't think it's sunk in. I look at my team and wonder how we did it.
Before his dramatic 11th-round win over Parker in October, everyone figured the winner would get a shot at Usyk next. Wardley was behind on the scorecards going into that round.
But the 38-year-old Usyk, a two-time undisputed heavyweight champ, said last week that he'd give up the belt because of a back injury.
Since Wardley vs. Parker was for the WBO Interim title, Wardley was automatically bumped up to the sanctioning body’s new heavyweight ruler.
"I expected him to fight me," Wardley said about Usyk's decision. There was talk between the Usyk and Parker camps that Usyk would fight the winner. I thought that's what he'd do, so I was surprised when he didn't, and I got promoted. I'll take it, though.
It's a little of both. It's fantastic, but I wanted it all. I wanted the perfect picture. Every boxer dreams of being a world champion. It would be arrogant of me to complain, but I love to fight and to earn my wins.
There's been talk online about Usyk ducking Wardley. Some think he is, while others say that's ridiculous. Wardley was asked straight up for his take: If it were someone else, would you say they were avoiding me? he wondered.
It's that arrogance thing again. If it were another fighter, it would be a bigger deal. You'd think he'd look at me and think, 'I can get through this guy.' Of course, you want to win in the ring, hear the announcement, have the belt handed to you, and enjoy that moment. I didn't get that, but I'm not going to cry about it.”
Wardley is now waiting for his next opponent. The WBO's top five challengers are Moses Itauma, Filip Hrgovic, Zhilei Zhang, Daniel Dubois, and Jared Anderson.
I'm easy to reach. "Just call," Wardley said. I'm taking all calls.
He wrapped up It's been a fairy tale from start to finish. It's been quick. There have been big steps along the way, and it ended perfectly.
XANDER ZAYAS EMERGES AS TOP TARGET FOR JARON ENNIS’S NEXT MAJOR SHOWDOWN
Eddie Hearn confirms Jaron "Boots" Ennis is in talks to fight Xander Zayas in June after the Vergil Ortiz deal collapsed.
Eddie Hearn just shared that Jaron “Boots” Ennis’s next fight is around the corner, with talks heating up for a showdown with Xander Zayas.
After unifying the WBA and IBF welterweight belts against Eimantas Stanionis back in April 2025, Ennis jumped to 154 pounds. He took on Uisma Lima in his debut at that weight and sailed through, which got fans buzzing about a possible match with Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Matchroom and Golden Boy Promotions started negotiating for Ennis-Ortiz, but things got messy. Ortiz’s manager, Rick Mirigian, wasn’t happy with the purse Golden Boy offered, sparking tension between Ortiz and his promoter. Ortiz declared himself a free agent, filed a lawsuit against Golden Boy, and tried to strike a deal with Ennis on his own.
Golden Boy responded by getting a restraining order to stop Ortiz from negotiating elsewhere, putting those talks to bed. So Hearn began looking elsewhere, and now Zayas, who holds the WBA and WBO titles, is in the mix. With Top Rank announcing a broadcast partnership with DAZN and Matchroom already tied to DAZN, lining up Zayas vs Ennis looks easier than ever.
“We’re definitely talking,” Hearn told BoxingScene. “Honestly, we were so close to getting the Ortiz fight. We even started planning media tours; it was that far along. Now, with DAZN and Top Rank teaming up and our good relationship with Top Rank, we’ve started chatting with Xander Zayas. No media tour this time, but I think that fight could be just as good as the Ortiz one. Zayas is right there.”
He also mentioned Josh Kelly, the IBF champ at 154, saying it’s been a frustrating stretch for Ennis. “Boots was supposed to fight in April or May; now it’s looking like June. But I guarantee he’ll get a big fight next. By the end of next week, we’ll make a decision; Boots’s fight is imminent.”
If Zayas and Ennis do end up facing each other, that could leave Kelly without an opponent for his first title defence. After beating Bakhram Murtazaliev in January, Kelly said he wanted a unification bout with Zayas.
“Yeah, Kelly’s still up for it, and Zayas likes the idea too,” Hearn said. “But honestly, there’s a lot of money in Boots vs Zayas. Kelly could fight Boots as well, and that could happen. I’m fine with Kelly taking a voluntary defence; he just beat Murtazaliev. What more can you ask for? Murtazaliev, then Boots? That’s a tough path, so we’ll see. But Kelly is up for big fights as well. Conversations are ongoing, and it’s a top priority.”
DISCOVER THE STUNNING DETAILS BEHIND THE "AGREED" TYSON FURY VS ANTHONY JOSHUA 2026 DEAL
Anthony Joshua eyes a summer return after recovering from a tragic car crash, setting up a late-year clash with Tyson Fury.
Tyson Fury's coming back to the ring on April 11, 2026. He’s taking on Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the fight's streaming on Netflix. It'll be his first match since losing twice to Oleksandr Usyk; the last one was their rematch in December 2024.
After that defeat, Fury retired. He didn’t stay away for long, though 15 months later, he’s jumping back in. He's still thinking about making moves outside boxing. He’s talked about fighting former UFC champ Jon Jones and shared some thoughts about where his career might go.
In a chat with SPORTbible, he opened up about picking Makhmudov, what drives him, and what the future might look like.
Fury’s Reason for Choosing Makhmudov and the Joshua Fight Everyone Wants
Fury made this fight happen for a reason. Makhmudov packs serious power; he’s got 19 knockouts in 23 pro fights. Fury wanted to face someone tough.
“It takes someone of that calibre,” Fury said.
Makhmudov lost to Guido Vianello and Agit Kabayel but bounced back with wins over Ricardo Brown and David Allen.
If Fury wins, all eyes go right back to that long-hyped fight with Anthony Joshua. Joshua’s also planning a comeback this summer, at least according to Matchroom Boxing’s Frank Smith.
“If the fight can be made, let’s get it on like Donkey Kong,” Fury said.
He hasn’t talked to Joshua yet, though.
“I’ve had no contact with him at all.”
Fury Isn’t Done, And He’s Not Sure He Ever Will Be
Even though Fury keeps talking about retirement, he says boxing is still at the heart of everything.
“My true love’s always been boxing, and it’s always been my passion,” he said.
“So until it’s not any more… then I can go into full-time TV doing Netflix and s***.”
Does he need to fight? Not really. He does it for the thrill, not for the cash or fame.
“I’m in a position where I don’t need to box. I don’t need to do anything. I could drink beer all day if I wanted to. But I’m not interested. I like boxing. I’ve always liked boxing.”
He figures he’ll stick around for years yet.
“I’ll probably continue to do it well into my late 40s. It’s just something that I’ve been in love with. I’ve tried to get away from it so many times, and I’ve been unsuccessful. It’s an addiction. Boxing’s an addiction.”
MMA, the Jones Fight, and Who Knows What’s Next
Fury looked into mixed martial arts plenty of times.
“I’ve tried to do it about ten times,” he said.
But things just never lined up, at least not yet.
“For one reason or another, it hasn’t happened. [It would take] the right amount of money. But it always takes cold, hard cash, baby.”
He’s got his eye on Jon Jones, maybe. The former UFC champ could be next on Fury’s wild ride.
“You never know,” Fury said. “Anyone can beat anybody on any day. Nothing’s impossible, is it?”
