Fabio Wardley return date revealed after new champion missed out on Oleksandr Usyk fight

Fabio Wardley will return to the ring in April with the Oleksandr Usyk showdown now off the table.

That is according to the Ipswich power-puncher’s promoter Frank Warren who joined talkSPORT to discuss his future.

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Wardley looked set to meet divisional top dog Usyk in a huge clash for the undisputed titles in the early stages of 2026 after beating Joseph Parker.

But Usyk elected to relinquish his WBO title with the fight ordered as a mandatory, which saw Wardley crowned world champion without throwing a punch.

It left the Briton now in a career-first position as a title holder, as he looks for his first challenger in the new year.

Despite not opening up on exactly who that would be, Warren suggested it will be in spring next year when we see the new king back in action.

He said: “Before the fight, Usyk did say he’d fight the winner.

“And now he’s changed his mind. He obviously feels the risk to the reward isn’t justified.

“I think we’d have sold out a football stadium for the fight, we could have done the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“But we will see where we go. Fabio will be returning to the ring in April now, I am meeting up with him and his manager next week.

“We are going to get some lunch and decide what we are doing. There are plenty of options.”

Who could Fabio Wardley fight next?

Wardley is now seeking an alternative challenge and many leading operators will be in hot pursuit of his belt.

talkSPORT

A leading contender in the division is stablemate Moses Itauma, who is currently the No.1 ranked in the division by the WBO.

But a showdown is highly unlikely with the pair sharing the same trainer in Ben Davison, and with little interest coming from either camp.

Filip Hrgovic and Zhilei Zhang are both ranked at No.2 and No.3 respectively and could well be in the running.

But one fight which could certainly make sense is a huge all-British clash with Daniel Dubois.

Dubois recently challenged for the undisputed titles against Usyk in July, and came up short by emphatic stoppage defeat.

And it would be a good opportunity for him to try and immediately become a two-time world champion.

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Anthony Joshua could also be an alternative option subject to his availability in the new year.

Wardley has already opened the door to the clash, but Joshua is currently focused on his bizarre clash with YouTube boxer Jake Paul in Miami later this month.