Fabio Wardley open to battle of KO artists if he beats Dubois: “He’s on the list”

Fabio Wardley has targeted an opponent that would bring together arguably the two biggest punchers in the entire division.

After beating Joseph Parker to get his hands on the WBO Interim title, it seemed as though Wardley would next collide with then-undisputed ruler Oleksandr Usyk. However, the Ukrainian instead opted to vacate his belt, with Wardley subsequently being upgraded to full WBO world champion.

Now, Wardley is gearing up for a difficult first defence of that marble, as he prepares to take on Daniel Dubois next month. There, a victory may finally tee up his shot at Usyk, with his name mentioned as part of the reigning WBC, WBA and IBF titleholder’s three-man hit list.

Although, if Usyk changes those plans, Wardley has another option in mind, in the form of former WBC heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder, telling The Stomping Ground of his wish to fight and defend his title across the pond.

“We would love to [fight Wilder]. He was one that was on the list before Daniel, both him and [Derek] Chisora funnily enough.

“I have ticked off a lot of milestones in my career but one thing that I haven’t done is fought in America and done one of the big ones [venues], whether that be MSG, whether that be in Las Vegas.

“If I am going to do that, I need a big name to do it with and who better at the moment, in terms of my division and in America, than Deontay Wilder.”

Wilder is widely regarded as one of the biggest punchers in boxing history, with 43 of his 45 wins coming by knockout, though he had to settle for a rare points victory when he defeated Derek Chisora earlier this month.

Wardley has established himself as a massive puncher in his own right, with 19 of his 20 wins ending inside the distance. If a fight against Wilder came to fruition, Wardley went on to promise that there will be fireworks but, ultimately, he will score a ‘decisive’ win.

“I would be more of that [what we saw in Wilder-Chisora], just a lot cleaner and probably a bit more of decisive victory for me.”

First, before Wardley can truly talk up a showdown with ‘The Bronze Bomber’, he must overcome Dubois in what many fans believe to be a 50/50 affair in four weeks’ time.