The winner of Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois could be in line for an immediate unification showdown, depending on whether Oleksandr Usyk keeps hold of his WBA title.
Wardley will make the first defence of his WBO title on May 9, taking on former IBF champion Dubois at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena.
The 31-year-old was elevated from ‘interim’ to full world champion following his 11th-round finish over Joseph Parker in October, with Usyk having vacated his WBO heavyweight strap.
Quite unexpectedly, it has since been announced that the Ukrainian will face kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven on May 23, defending his WBC title at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza.
But while the WBC has confirmed its stance on the matter, it is yet to be announced whether Usyk will also be defending his IBF and WBA titles.
The division’s WBA ‘regular’ champion, meanwhile, is Murat Gassiev, who claimed his secondary strap with a sixth-round stoppage victory over Kubrat Pulev in December.
Despite previously losing a comprehensive points decision to Usyk at 200lbs, back in 2018, Gassiev has now reinvented himself as a solid heavyweight contender.
But rather than setting his sights on a rematch with the former three-time, two-division undisputed champion, the 32-year-old is instead targeting the winner of Wardley-Dubois.
Speaking with Sky Sports, Gassiev’s co-promoter, Al Siesta, believes this unification match could materialise if the WBA elevates his client to full world champion – either by stripping Usyk of the title or making him ‘champion in recess’.
“It is a similar situation to the WBO, who stripped Usyk when he decided not to face [mandatory challenger] Fabio Wardley.
“This allowed the division to progress and now we see a great fight with Wardley and Dubois in May – an amazing fight that we will be keeping a very close eye on.
“To face the winner in the UK would be a dream for Murat and I believe, whoever the winner is, would make for a blockbuster bout for Murat in the future.
“If the WBA title is not at stake for Usyk against Verhoeven, then it only makes logical sense to strip him of his title or make him a ‘champion in recess’. This would allow Murat to be elevated to ‘super’ champion.”
The winner of Wardley-Dubois would likely be made a sizable favourite against Gassiev, whose heavyweight campaign has not yet set the world alight.
