Back in March, Fabio Wardley received plaudits for a gutsy display against Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Frazer Clarke, battling to a draw in one of the fights of the year. However, their rematch was far more one-sided, with Wardley defending his British title for a third time with a phenomenal first-round demolition of his rival. Now, the domestic fight fans ponder, who next for the Ipswich fan-favourite?
1. Joe Joyce (16-3)
If someone had proposed a showdown between Wardley and Joe Joyce around 18 months ago, many would have predicted an annihilation from ‘The Juggernaut’ – who was seen as a serious threat to the heavyweight world titles.
Yet, back-to-back knockout defeats to Zhilei Zhang damaged Joyce both physically and mentally and a recent loss to Derek Chisora has left the 39-year-old in no-man’s-land. A return to the British title level against a respected champion could be Joyce’s last chance to show that he can achieve further success in the sport, whilst Joyce represents a gatekeeper to the world level for Wardley.
Both men are signed with Queensberry so the bout would hinge on whether Frank Warren would be willing to put Joyce in with Wardley, especially considering Joyce’s lack of defence of late and Wardley’s obvious punch power – which left Clarke requiring surgery at the weekend.
2. Lawrence Okolie (20-1)
As would be the case with Joe Joyce, a win for Wardley against Lawrence Okolie would mean that he wins the British title outright – that representing the necessary fourth victory in a contest for the Lonsdale belt.
A former WBO cruiserweight champion, Okolie recently vacated his WBC bridgerweight title ahead of a step-up to the heavyweight division, where he hopes to render his disappointing defeat to Chris Billam-Smith a distant memory and begin a new chapter in the sport’s glamour division.
Okolie has shown that he has the skills to deliver on the world stage, but his style is often critiqued for its negativity. Although unproven at heavyweight, the experienced Okolie would be a sizeable risk for Wardley but a possibly monumental win against a big-name opponent for the undefeated British champion.
3. Solomon Dacres (9-0)
The last of three British suggestions, English heavyweight champion Solomon Dacres was being mentioned with names such as Wardley, Clarke and Johnny Fisher not so long ago, until an unconvincing majority-decision win against Michael Webster saw his stock fall.
However, Dacres silenced those doubters in the rematch with Webster and dominated before securing a seventh-round stoppage win to get his career back on track and restore some momentum.
A clash between Wardley and Dacres would be another all-Queensberry affair but would be seen as the easiest of the three options for a British title fight and could even be added as a late addition to the Fury-Usyk II undercard after Wardley’s rematch with Clarke proved to be far less arduous than predicted.
4. Filip Hrgovic (17-1)
With the Dubois-Joshua II undercard rumoured to be another ‘Queensberry vs. Matchroom: five versus five’, Eddie Hearn is lacking heavyweights for an appearance on the bill. Therefore, we could see Filip Hrgovic’s name called once again, despite a lack of clarity surrounding his promotional status.
Hrgovic was expected to defeat Daniel Dubois for the inaugural card in June and claim the IBF interim heavyweight title in the process to set up a showdown with Anthony Joshua but instead we witnessed a coming-of-age performance from ‘Triple D’ – who then famously went on to knock ‘AJ’ out at Wembley Stadium.
Although Wardley has impressed British fight fans, Rio 2016 medallist Hrgovic and Hearn would likely believe that the 29-year-old is a good opportunity to get back to winning ways and showcase his talent on a blockbuster card to re-establish himself as a threat to the heavyweight world champions.
In terms of world rankings, Wardley sits at #8 with Hrgovic at #9 with both the WBO and WBC, whilst Hrgovic remains at #9 with the IBF – where Wardley is placed at #12 (although these ratings are yet to be altered following the win over Clarke).
5. Jarrell Miller (26-1-2)
Last but not least is controversial American contender Jarrell Miller, who has returned to the peak of the heavyweight scene after serving a lengthy ban due to multiple failed drugs test.
‘Big Baby’ gave Dubois a run for his money in Riyadh in a performance that is ageing well, before an unfortunate draw against former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. on the Crawford-Madrimov card – a fight which many felt Miller had won.
Renowned for being one of the best trash talkers in the division, a clash between Wardley and Miller would be extremely sellable and got help Warren turn his fighter into a household name if he is able to silence the loud-mouthed New Yorker.
Miller and Hrgovic would both be noticeable jumps up in competition and whether Wardley is ready for such an increase in skill remains to be seen, but the fearless nature of the hard-hitting Brit makes both proposals seem realistic.
Miller is positioned at #13 with the WBA, where Wardley is at #9 – but a win would see the latter’s star power and reputation notably increase even if his world ranking would not.
Before talks with any future opponents can begin, Wardley must make a decision on whether he wishes to remain at the British level and attempt to win his title outright or make the jump up to the world level in order to position himself for the world titles – which are expected to become fragmented shortly after Fury-Usyk II.
Regardless of whatever move Wardley opts for, it seems as though Great Britain and Frank Warren are well poised for the future in the heavyweight division, with Dubois, Wardley and Moses Itauma all anticipated to stick around amongst the best in the world.
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