Oleksandr Usyk keeps Fabio Wardley waiting as Rico Verhoeven clash looms

The heavyweight division keeps moving around Usyk, but the unbeaten champion still controls every important conversation.

And now Fabio Wardley wants in.

Wardley inches closer to the elite table

Fabio Wardley has done almost everything asked of him over the last two years. The Ipswich heavyweight blasted through domestic opposition, survived wild exchanges, and forced his way into world title contention after beating Joseph Parker for the interim WBO belt.

This weekend in Manchester, Wardley puts his full WBO heavyweight title on the line against Daniel Dubois in a fight that feels far more dangerous than some fans expected.

Dubois still carries the reputation of a wrecking ball. Even backstage at recent media workouts, trainers were quietly mentioning the same thing: if Dubois lands clean early, everything changes. His right hand still has frightening weight behind it.

Wardley looked loose during open workouts though. Laughing between rounds, talking with fans, then suddenly switching gears once the gloves came on. Watching him hit the pads up close, the speed stands out more than the raw power. He throws combinations like a cruiserweight trapped inside a heavyweight frame.

Usyk’s team isn’t dismissing him

Usyk’s camp made it clear they’re paying attention, even if the focus remains on Verhoeven for now.

According to Ready To Fight CEO Sergey Lapin, Wardley can absolutely enter the Usyk sweepstakes — but only if he passes the Dubois test first.

“If Fabio Wardley proves himself at the highest level, he can definitely become part of that conversation,” Lapin told Sky Sports Boxing.

That wording matters.

Usyk’s team doesn’t hand out praise cheaply. The Ukrainian champion has already beaten Tyson Fury twice, outboxed Anthony Joshua, and unified the heavyweight division after becoming undisputed at cruiserweight. His résumé reads differently from everyone else’s in the sport. Even the current Ring Magazine heavyweight rankings barely capture how dominant he’s been.

Still, Wardley offers something promoters love: danger.

Rico Verhoeven fight changes the landscape

Before any undisputed talk happens, Oleksandr Usyk first steps into one of the strangest crossover fights boxing has seen in years against kickboxing superstar Rico Verhoeven.

The atmosphere around that event already feels bizarre in the best way possible. Cameras everywhere. Security packed tightly around both camps. Verhoeven carrying himself like a man with nothing to lose and everything to gain financially.

FSI247 recently covered the intense Usyk and Verhoeven face-off ahead of the event, and people inside boxing are split on what happens next. Some think it’s a spectacle. Others quietly admit Verhoeven’s size and timing could create awkward moments early.

Usyk doesn’t seem remotely concerned.

FSI247’s breakdown of heavyweight crossover fights highlighted how carefully Usyk chooses opponents at this stage of his career. Legacy matters, but business matters now too.

That’s exactly why Wardley vs Dubois suddenly feels so important.

Beat Dubois convincingly and Wardley becomes more than a promising British heavyweight. He becomes a genuine option for the biggest fight in boxing.