BEING described as a “number one contender” sounds best when a ring announcer booms the words out during pre-fight introductions.
Unbeaten heavyweight Fabio Wardley celebrated his 30th birthday in December and earlier this month received an extra present when he climbed five places to take the WBA’s number one spot.
Wardley, one of boxing’s most eloquent and thoughtful fighters, is realistic enough to know that while it looks good on a screen there is still work to be done and more to prove.
Speaking to Boxing News about his positive start to 2025 he said: “It’s a nice nod, and it’s appreciated that my talents, my skills, the things I’ve been doing over the past few years have been recognised. But also, okay, there’s just more on your shoulders and more to live up to, because everyone will then go, alright, well, you’re number one, show us then. I’m like, okay, cool, I’ll show you.”
In 2024 Wardley, 18-0-1 (17 KOs), ticked some boxes and squashed some doubts. Going the 12-round distance for the first time was achieved in jaw dropping fashion when he and Frazer Clarke reminded us that boxing is a bloodsport. Their British title battle in March was raw, violent and demonstrated Wardley is made of the right stuff. The disappointment for him was retaining the title with a split draw.
Seven months later they met again, this time in Riyadh on the Beterbiev-Bivol undercard, with both looking to definitively prove they were better than the other. Wardley struck first and did so emphatically in round one ending Clarke’s plans before they got started.
With every year since his professional debut in April 2017 there have been signs of progression from the 6ft 5ins heavyweight. First he had to shake off his White Collar background and prove himself to be a professional boxer, then show if he was capable of moving up the ranks and into British title contention, then challenger and then champion. With each step taken he now finds himself in the world title picture and someone finally being taken seriously.
“I always came with that tag of white collar this and white collar that,” he says. “But definitely my last achievements, I think especially over the last three fights have really set in place that, Oh actually, hang on, he is genuine. There’s something serious there. He’s serious. He’s a genuine contender. He’s not just, oh he can punch or whatever else.
“I’ve proved through many other facets now with the first Fraser fight that I can take a hit. I can do the 12 rounds. I can do them at a high pace. I can hit. I can knock people down.
“Or with the [David] Adeleye fight, I can fight very tactically. I barely lost a round in that fight. I played it smart, stuck to the game plan, did what I was supposed to do. So I’ve showed different areas and not only having a plan A, but a B, a C, a D and being able to execute them as well.”
Wardley can be described as a humble individual without the social media hashtags. His feet and the rest are on the ground. They best be otherwise his family and partner are on hand to bring him down a peg or two if there’s whiff his ego has landed.
BN asked Wardley whether he felt invincible of late. The blood, sweat and emotion of the first Clarke fight saw him come out the other side with his British title on his shoulder but the result whetted his appetite for destruction in the rematch. That first round win was one of British boxing’s more shocking moments such was the ferocity of the shot Wardley threw to end Clarke’s hopes and subsequently injure him in the process.
“It’s like with each fight, with each win, even with each camp, it’s like I’m Super Mario that’s ate another mushroom, and I puff up another size bigger if you put it in that kind of context,” he said.
“Don’t get me wrong I can always be brought back down to size or whatever, but with each win, with each milestone ticked off, it’s like I’ve puffed up another size, another level, and I’m reaching a new mountaintop, a new height.”
“I’m still very much a realist,” he added.
“My last fight is a prime example. It takes one punch to completely sway the whole trajectory of your career. I’m always very wary of that, but also it’s never going to put me off putting myself in either hard fights or tough fights or risky fights or just challenging myself. So, maybe not invincible, but there’s a feeling of, you know what, if I actually sit down and set my mind to it, I can do whatever I want to do.
“I think it’s a shared role between my team, my missus and my family. They all catch me on individual moments, even through Christmas and stuff. No one cares that I was number one. They care in a way, obviously, but it doesn’t stop my mum from telling me to do the washing up after Christmas dinner’s been had, or when I get home, my missus telling me the bins need taking out, or if I get to the gym, my coach doesn’t care that I’m number one. I need to do my sessions. You’re doing your sprints today.
“Who cares that you’re number one with the WBA? You’ve got a sprint session crack on. So everyone very much plays their role in keeping me in check and keeping me on track. It’s very much a team effort.”
But as WBA number one heavyweight contender fans and observers will be curious who Wardley faces next. He told BN that the team will meet this month to discuss the plan ahead. The fighter knows that 2025 will have to be a strategic year rather than receiving any old name and cracking on at domestic level which he has already shown he can dominate.
He now finds himself being talked about as a future opponent for IBF champion Daniel Dubois, for example. Oleksandr Usyk, meanwhile, is still very much the number one. But the WBA, WBC and WBO unified champion may vacate one or more if he is to move back down to cruiserweight or pursue alternative fights.
Underneath Wardley’s number one position there lies contenders like Martin Bakole, Agit Kabayel, Zhilei Zhang, Moses Itauma and others. World-class fighters currently pursuing success with the other three organisations.
Boxing News recently assessed the potential options for Wardley’s next fight and produced three names: WBA ‘Regular’ title holder Kubrat Pulev and Americans Jermaine Frankline and Jarrell Miller. Wardley gave his own thoughts on the three we earmarked as possible opponents for his next fight.
“I think Franklin’s the probably least likely,” Wardley said.
“I think he’s the least bang for your buck kind of thing. Miller, probably in the middle of that pack. There’s obviously the entertainment factor, and obviously he’s good to sell a fight. I don’t know where he is ranking-wise and things like that, but I’m sure a win off him will put me in a good position as well. But I think the prime one out of that lot would be Pulev because he does hold that title.
“So if there’s any which way I could pull off that fight and get that title on the line as well, that would be the most ideal out of the three, I think.
“We obviously have seen that Pulev is immediately there, an opportune in a sense. But he’s not long come off a fight, so then we don’t know his stance in terms of when he’s willing to be fighting again. I know I’m number one, but are the WBA going to immediately call me to fight him? Who knows? There’s other hurdles to be taken on first before we know where we stand really.”
