Oleksandr Usyk’s team tells Fabio Wardley what he should do to get a unification fight.
Oleksandr Usyk could bring all the heavyweight titles together by fighting Britain’s Fabio Wardley – but there’s one thing Wardley needs to do first, says Usyk’s promoter, Sergey Lapin.
Usyk, who holds the WBC, WBA, and IBF belts, is getting ready for a big fight with kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven in Giza, Egypt, on May 23. Meanwhile, Wardley will defend his WBO title against former world champ Daniel Dubois in Manchester on May 9.
Usyk has beaten top fighters like Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Dubois, and is still undefeated as he comes closer to the end of what’s been an amazing career. He’s been both the undisputed heavyweight and cruiserweight champ and even won Olympic gold back in 2012.
Wardley, who started boxing while working a regular 9-to-5 recruitment job, is also undefeated. He’s had big wins over Justis Huni and recently former world champ Joseph Parker.
Both are world champs, but what needs to happen for them to fight and unify all the belts?
Lapin says Wardley must first prove he can compete at the highest level before facing Usyk.
He told Sky Sports, “If Fabio Wardley shows he can fight at the top, then he can definitely be part of the conversation. Being a three-time undisputed heavyweight champ would be historic, and Oleksandr loves big challenges.
“But we don’t plan just around one fighter or result. There are many strong contenders, and we’re focused on the biggest and most important fights.”
Usyk might also fight Germany’s Agit Kabayel, who is the WBC’s mandatory challenger.
Lapin said, “If it’s Wardley, it could be for undisputed belts. If Kabayel, it’d likely be a title defense. But we don’t like to look too far ahead. Right now, all attention is on the Verhoeven fight.
“Oleksandr has done what very few have in boxing, so now it’s not just about chasing titles. For years, he took fights mainly for sport and building his legacy, even if it wasn’t always the most business-friendly.”
“Now things are different. At this stage, both the sport and business sides are important.”