Fabio Wardley’s promoter, Frank Warren, says Oleksandr Usyk will have to fight Wardley next or relinquish his WBO heavyweight title now that he’s the mandatory.
(Credit: Queensberry/Leigh Dawney)
Klimas Cool on Wardley
Usyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, reportedly wasn’t “over excited” about fighting Wardley when asked about the fight following Fabio’s 11th-round knockout win over Joseph Parker (36-4, 24 KOs) last Saturday night on October 25, 2025, at the O2 Arena in London.
Money Over Mandate
It’s unknown if Usyk and Klimas are waiting for a bigger fight against Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua. Those would be larger paydays for Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) and would involve less risk due to the advanced ages of the two Brits. Fury is 37, carrying around some extra pounds around his waistline, while Joshua is 36 and coming off a bad knockout loss.
“They said before the fight that they would fight the winner,” said promoter Frank Warren to talkSport Boxing after being told by host Jim White that Oleksandr Usyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, was “not over excited with all due respect at the prospect of fighting Fabio” following his win over Joseph Parker.
There wouldn’t be as much of a backlash for Usyk if he vacated his WBO title to avoid Wardley, compared to if he relinquished a belt to swerve a fight against the 20-year-old Moses Itauma. It doesn’t look as bad avoiding the 30-year-old Wardley because he’s older, and not being hyped as the future of the heavyweight division the way Itauma is.
It would only make sense for Usyk to vacate the WBO title if he’s going to be doing it, so he can face Joshua or Fury next. He wouldn’t even have to vacate if he paid Wardley a step aside. Oleksander got more than enough money to do that.
“The WBO had ordered that. So, it’s up to him. He either fights him or relinquishes the belt, or he gets stripped,” said Warren about Usyk. “I hope he doesn’t do that because I feel this fight would fill Wembley up. We had a good turnout on Saturday [for Parker vs. Wardley]. This is now a fight.”
Usyk’s Silence Speaks
It’s not a good sign that Usyk hasn’t said a word since Wardley’s victory over Parker. What makes it look worse is the comment from talkSport host Jim White about Usyk’s manager, Klimas, not being “excited” about Wardley being an option for his next fight.
“He [Wardley] has the power. He’s shown that in 19 of 20 fights. He comes from behind and does it. Fabio deserves his shot at Usyk. It will sell out Wembley,” said Warren.
Last Updated on 10/27/2025
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