Fabio Wardley reminds Oleksandr Usyk of his desire for a heavyweight unification

JAKARTA - World heavyweight champion of the World Boxing Organization (WBO), Fabio Wardley, gave a stern warning to Oleksandr Usyk regarding his strong desire to become the next undisputed heavyweight champion.

Wardley only needs one more step to face the Ukrainian fighter in the ring. The only test he needs to pass is winning the duel against Daniel Dubois at the Co-op Live Arena, Manchester, England, on Saturday, May 9, 2026.

The 31-year-old fighter said he would try his best to win the fight with his compatriot so that he could get the chance to step into the ring to win Usyk's other three heavyweight belts.

"I want to be successful and I want to beat big names. I already have one belt and I don't plan to stop there. This fight is a statement of that in itself," he said as quoted by Sky Sports.

Usyk is an Olympic gold medalist and undisputed world champion in the cruiserweight and heavyweight classes. In addition, the 39-year-old fighter has not suffered a defeat in the 24 professional fights he has taken part in.

The statistics contrast with Wardley who was previously not widely known and had no experience in the amateurs, but managed to rise to the top of the professionals. He holds the WBO world champion belt after Usyk chose to vacate it.

Wardley said he was eager to test his ability to face Usyk while also providing a slightly different approach to the fight to break down the dominance of the Simferopol-born fighter.

"You've tried almost everything, from unorthodox styles, like Tyson Fury, to very well-trained styles like Anthony Joshua or Dubois."

"So, maybe try to surprise him, give him the type of young office worker, and see what he can produce," he said.

Usyk had previously included the winner of the clash between Wardley and Dubois in the list of three fights he would take at the end of his career before deciding to retire.

His first fight is a voluntary title defense against kickboxing king Rico Verhoeven on May 23, 2026 in Egypt. After that, he may arrange a meeting with the winners Wardley and Dubois, then close it with a trilogy against Fury.