Fabio Wardley had hoped to face Oleksandr Usyk in 2026, but Ukraine’s unified heavyweight ruler instead opted to fight Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on the left wing.

After knocking out Joseph Parker and winning the WBO interim heavyweight titleWardley has called for a showdown with Usyk, hoping to secure a shot at the coveted undisputed throne.

However, Usyk responded by vacating the WBO world title – as a result, Wardley was elevated to the world title – and he was linked with a return to fighting overseas in possible meetings with Deontay Wilder or Andy Ruiz Jr.

Instead, two weeks ago it was announced that Usyk would travel to Cairo, Egypt, to defend his WBC heavyweight title against Verhoeven, who boasts a professional boxing record of just 1-0.

In an interview with Boxing News, Wardley admitted that the news was “disappointing” for him and expressed hope that Usyk would return to “real” professional boxing soon.

“I think so [my reaction] he was just like the rest of the boxing world [the announcement] was quite disappointing. I understand that he has earned the right to do whatever he wants, but at least I expected that to be the case [against] energetic boxer.

“I don’t actually know much about Verhoeven in terms of his level of quality, but I expected it [the fight] to be against a professional boxer of decent caliber, but if you’re not, that’s fine, do your thing.

I hope he returns to real professional boxing against some of the top elites.”

The Usyk-Verhoeven gala will take place on Saturday, May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza, and Verhoeven has a chance to become the fastest world heavyweight champion in boxing history.

LAS VEGAS – Jai Opetaia put together a stunning offensive display to demolish Brandon Glanton and become the inaugural Zuffa World Cruiserweight Champion via unanimous decision at Meta Apex on Sunday.

All three judges scored the fight 119-106.

Fighting on the Gold Coast, Australia, Opetaia easily won every round in his first fight on American soil, but was unable to obtain a knockout due to Glanton’s exceptional punch resistance.

“It’s okay,” Opetaia said. “I knew Brandon would be tough as nails. I’m ecstatic to get the victory and enter my next chapter as a Zuffa champion.”

Opetaia (30-0, 23 KO) had little trouble against the determined but badly outmatched Glanton (21-4, 18 KO), choking him with demanding shots and an uppercut that was impossible to miss. Glanton was cautioned by the referee and deducted a point in rounds 6 and 8 for holding and low blows, respectively. Opetaia was also deducted a point in round 11 for excessive holding, but the fight was already out of control.

The fight quickly became one-sided as Opetaia landed brutal shots to Glanton’s head and body. Although Glanton was regularly beaten, he continued to trail Opetaia but offered almost nothing offensive, while adopting a steady diet of right and left. Opetaia added uppercuts to his offensive repertoire in round 4 and this proved to be his most effective punch for the rest of the fight.

Opetaia torched Glanton in round 10 with various weighty punches to the head and body, but his opponent refused to break. Even with a wide margin on the scorecards, Opetaia went for a knockout in the final round and badly hurt Glanton with straight left hands and combinations. But Glanton survived until the final bell and will leave Las Vegas with a moral victory.

There was more drama between Opetaia and the IBF leading up to the fight than what happened in the ring. Opetaia entered the fight as the IBF cruiserweight champion, but could be stripped of his title after the IBF declined to sanction the fight on Friday, issuing a statement saying it was misrepresented that Zuffa’s championship would be nothing more than an item that would be “characterized as a trophy or token of recognition.”

Opetaia, 30, signed with Zuffa Boxing in January with the goal of becoming the undisputed cruiserweight, and he maintained that goal in his post-fight comments.

“I’m chasing lanes,” Opetaia said. “I know there’s been a lot of white noise and stuff. A lot of it on social media, but I hope everything clears up and we can still work towards that goal. I haven’t lost sight of that and I never have. I’ve already been stripped once. I’ve been stripped again. I’ll get the belt back and go undisputed.”

In the fifth round, Opetai’s right uppercut to the head again hurt Glanton in the final minute. In the sixth round, Opetaia continued his body attack and took another round, while Glanton lost a point for holding. In the last minute of the seventh round, both fighters exchanged blows. In the eighth round, Glanton landed several low blows and lost a point from referee Allen Huggins.

In the ninth round, both fighters had their moments. Opetaia continued to work the body as Glanton ended the round with a punch to the chin. In the tenth round, Opetaia landed a right uppercut to Glanton’s body. Just when it looked like Glanton might be ready to attack, he counterattacked and landed straight into Opetai’s body.

In the eleventh round, Opetaia lost a point for holding. In the twelfth and final round, the action was still competitive at the bell.

All three judges scored the fight 119-106.

Retains Saracho Rooms

Ricardo Adan Salas stopped Jesus “Junior” Saracho at 2:05 of the eighth round of a scheduled 10-round fight.

In the first round, Salas’ last-minute shot shocked Saracho. In the second round, both had their moments in a close round. In the third round, Salas landed a pair of rights to Saracho’s chin in the final seconds and won the round.

In the last 30 seconds of the fourth round, Saracho landed a combination to the chin, but in the final seconds Salas responded with a quick attack and took the round. In the fifth round, Salas landed a right uppercut to the body that hurt Saracho midway through the round. In the last seconds, Salas landed several punches again and won the round.

In the sixth round, Salas landed a left hook to the body that hurt Saracho in the first minute, although Saracho fought well for the rest of the round. In the seventh round, Salas landed a right uppercut to the chin that hurt Saracho, and the two exchanged punches midway through the round. Salas finished the round stronger, working his body well.

In the eighth round, Salas hurt Saracho with several body blows as the referee looked ready to step in. Salas landed to the body again, hurting Saracho and forcing referee Robert Hoyle to stop the fight.

Panin stops the group

Vlad “Super Bad” Panin stopped Shinard Bunch at 2:29 of the ninth round of a scheduled 10-round fight.

It was a one-sided fight lasting eight rounds, with Panin dominating. In the ninth round, Panin landed a series of punches, forcing referee Allen Huggins to stop.

Palma defeats Rubio

Adan Palma won a split decision over Pablo “Shark” Rubio Jr. over eight innings after scoring two knockdowns.

In the third round, Palma’s left hook knocked down Rubio for eight. Moments later, Palma dropped Rubio again, landing another right to the chin. In the fourth round, Rubio fought back, although Palma’s left hook was still effective.

In the fifth round, Palma landed a pair of left hooks to the chin. Rubio responded with a combination at the bell in the close round. In the sixth round, Rubio landed several unanswered punches mid-round to even the fight.

In the eighth and final round, Rubio rallied strongly.

The scores were 76-74 for Rubio and 78-77 for Palma twice.

Juarez wins by decision

Joshua Jay Juarez defeated Jardae Anderson in eight rounds.

Juarez used his attacking style to put pressure on Anderson while also scoring points with his hand speed and power shots. The pace slowed in the second half of the fight until the final ten seconds when both fighters exchanged.

The scores were 77-75, 79-73 and 78-74.

Ramos and Perez draw

Jaycob Ramos fought Ethan Perez for most of six rounds.

Both fighters hit the canvas during the fight. In the second round, Perez dropped Ramos with a left hand for an eight count. Ramos managed to survive until the bell.

In the third round, Ramos returned the favor, dropping Perez with a right hand to get the count back to eight.

The scores were 57-55 Ramos and 56-56 twice.

Ochoa and Serrano tied

Brady Ochoa fought six rounds against Adrian Serrano to a majority draw.

The competitors fought for six rounds of competition.

The scores were 58-56 Ochoa and 57-57 twice.

Alvarado wins by decision

Emiliano Alvarado defeated Eric Rosado in six rounds.

After losing the opening round, Alvarado dropped Rosado in the second round and controlled the remainder of the fight.

All scores were 59-55.