Who Is Britain's 11th Heavyweight World Champion Wardley?

Fabio Wardley has go nan World Boxing Organisation (WBO) heavyweight champion - and 11th British heavyweight champion - aft Oleksandr Usyk vacated nan title.

The Ukrainian combatant informed nan WBO he would not proceed pinch a mandatory title defence against nan 30-year-old aft "thoughtful consideration".

Wardley became nan number 1 challenger to Usyk aft upsetting Joseph Parker successful a thrilling October clash.

It caps a singular emergence for nan erstwhile Ipswich Town academy footballer, who had nary amateur inheritance successful boxing earlier he turned master successful 2017.

The 6ft 5in combatant boasts an undefeated grounds pinch 20 wins from his 21 contests - including an awesome 19 knockouts.

Usyk, 38, still holds nan WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles.

Wardley's squad said it was "unbelievable" he had gone from achromatic collar boxing to heavyweight world champion.

The Ipswich-born combatant primitively started successful achromatic collar boxing - a shape of nan athletics wherever participants train and compete successful bouts, usually for kindness aliases fitness. Despite his constricted acquisition successful nan ring, he stepped consecutive into his master profession pinch nary amateur fights.

"Fabio has really captured nan public's imagination pinch his Cinderella-type communicative and he's an breathtaking fighter," his promoter Frank Warren Warren told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"This is an unbelievable story. Somebody who has ne'er ever had an amateur fight; he's conscionable had a mates of achromatic collar fights and he's gone connected to go champion.

"Not conscionable Suffolk, but nan full federation should beryllium proud of him."

Matt Brennan, portion of Wardley's team, said it was an "amazing accomplishment from wherever Fab has travel from to wherever he is today" - moreover if he did not deliberation it was nan "way you would expect to triumph a world title".

"It is simply a shame for Fab and america because it would person been awesome to spot Fab triumph nan world title successful nan ring... he tin now telephone himself a world champion and cipher tin ever return that distant from him," he added.

Brennan said Wardley had been successful nan airdrome connected Monday fresh to spell connected vacation erstwhile he recovered retired nan news. Delighted, he and nan remainder of his squad celebrated together.

At present, young Briton Moses Itauma is nan number 1 contender connected nan WBO's rankings.

The 20-year-old has a bout scheduled for 24 January, 2026 against Jermaine Franklin Jr astatine nan Co-op Live Arena successful Manchester.

The result of that could dictate what happens adjacent for Wardley and nan WBO belt.

Croatia's Filip Hrgovic, Zhilei Zhang of China and Britain's Lawrence Okolie are nan adjacent highest connected nan rankings for nan WBO heavyweight belt.

Wardley follows successful nan footsteps of Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, David Haye, Lennox Lewis, Herbie Hide, Henry Akinwande, Frank Bruno, Michael Bentt and Robert Fitzsimmons arsenic Britons to person go world heavyweight champions successful nan sport's history.

Of nan 11, Wardley becomes nan sixth to do this pinch nan WBO belt, pinch some Fury and Joshua among those to person been caller WBO heavyweight champions.

No British boxer has won each 4 awesome belts astatine nan aforesaid time, but 3 of them person held 3 of boxing's 4 awesome heavyweight belts simultaneously.

Joshua held nan WBO, IBF and WBO belts astatine nan aforesaid clip during 2 spells arsenic champion, while Fury besides had each 3 during his first title run.

During Lewis' 2nd reign arsenic champion betwixt 1997 and 2001, he held nan WBA, WBC and IBF titles together.

Lewis' 2nd title reign of 4 years was nan longest of immoderate British world heavyweight champion, successfully defending nan belts 9 times.

Four champions, Fury, Hide, Bentt and Fitzsimmons each mislaid belts without successfully defending them.

Wardley's travel to nan apical is possibly nan astir remarkable.

His communicative sounds for illustration nan book of a movie - from achromatic collar boxing to world champion. Life successful nan master ranks has been a steep learning curve.

But what he lacks successful experience, he much than makes up for successful grit, determination and a thunderous correct hand.

His come-from-behind wins against some Justis Huni and Joseph Parker were impervious of his unthinkable punching power.

While he doesn't person a video infinitesimal of being presented pinch nan loop successful nan ring, his melodramatic 11th-round triumph successful London against New Zealand's Parker will unrecorded agelong successful nan representation - and showed a champion's heart.

Of nan existent harvest of British heavyweights, I uncertainty galore would person predicted nan erstwhile Ipswich Town academy footballer would beryllium nan 1 to decorativeness nan twelvemonth arsenic a world champion.

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