British boxer Fabio Wardley is on the verge of being crowned heavyweight champion of the world after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title. Wardley scored an 11th-round victory over Joseph Parker in a thrilling fight last month to secure his position as WBO interim champion. Usyk had previously been ordered to defend his four belts against the Ipswich fighter, but opted not to continue in his ninth fight against a British opponent.

The Ukrainian was the undisputed world champion twice after victories against Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois. He was only going to fight one more fight, but recently revealed plans to extend his career for another two years. For Wardley, being crowned world champion would mark a remarkable culmination to a career that began on the white collar boxing stage. Although he did not have an amateur career, since turning professional in 2017, he has triumphed in all but one of his professional fights.

His impressive record of 20 wins, zero losses and one draw includes a total of 19 knockouts, defeating opponents such as Justis Huni, David Adeleye, Nick Gorman and Nathan Webb.

The only boxer to draw with Wardley so far, destroying his otherwise perfect record, is Frazer Clarke, who first faced the 30-year-old in March last year.

However, their immediate rematch in October of the same year removed any doubts as to who was the better boxer when Wardley secured a first-round TKO against the Burton-born heavyweight.

Wardley has previously expressed his desire to meet Usyk, telling Sky Sports: “It’s been a goal for many years. That’s been the goal. It’s been everything I’ve wanted.”

Ultimately, however, no fight against the sport’s currently dominant force proved necessary for Wardley to fulfill his world champion ambitions. This is the second time Usyk has vacated the belt after he vacated the vacant IBF title last year after opting for an immediate rematch with Fury rather than face the promotion’s mandatory challenger, Dubois.

Dubois then won the IBF title with a fifth-round knockout of Anthony Joshua at Wembley last September. His reign proved to be short-lived, however, and he eventually met Usyk in July 2025 at the same venue where the British fighter himself suffered a fifth-round stoppage.

Wardley’s promoter, Frank Warren, quickly reacted to the news that his fighter had become the WBO world heavyweight champion. Posting a photo of his boxer on X, he declared: “Britain has a novel heavyweight world champion and a novel star in the sport.

“One of the most incredible stories I have seen in my 45 years as a promoter. I couldn’t be more proud of FabioWardley. We have some massive fights ahead of us in 2026 where he will defend his WBO belt and create a true legacy in the sport.”