Fabio Wardley prepared to vacate British title to fight Kubrat Pulev

Fabio Wardley is targeting a fight with Kubrat Pulev – and therefore preparing to vacate the British heavyweight title.

The 30 year old recorded his biggest victory in October 2024, when stopping the previously undefeated Frazer Clarke inside a round, and under the guidance of Frank Warren – Queensberry Promotions have become the most influential promoters in the heavyweight division – he is seeking to accelerate his career.

While he stressed that his options remain open, and that he is yet to make a decision to vacate his title after two successful defences – his victory over Clarke also represented the first defence of his Commonwealth title – he considers the 43-year-old Pulev a marketable opponent potentially even capable of delivering the occasion he “dreams” of at Portman Road Stadium, the home of his favourite soccer team, Ipswich Town.

In December, Bulgaria’s Pulev – a former opponent of Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko – defeated Mahmoud Charr in a contest for the lightly regarded WBA “regular” heavyweight title, and Wardley told BoxingScene: “There’s no really escaping a big name or a big fight for me now. I can’t be at that position and just take anyone on the side that no one’s really heard of. I don’t want to, either. 

“I want to be in big fights. I would hate for someone to look at my name versus someone and be like, ‘Oh, that’s boring; that’s not worth it’. 

“I don’t want to be that kind of fighter; that kind of person. I always want to be in big, entertaining fights. So any one of those guys in the top 10 is going to deliver that. 

“The most obvious one is the [Kubrat] Pulev fight, purely because I’m number one [in the WBA rankings]; he’s the regular champ. So that seems like an obvious one to make. But there’s other guys’ names in there as well who can still kick me on; boost me up; and get me in the right place, because it’s not just about ranking as well. 

“It’s about what the fans want to see and the type of performance you’re putting in. So yeah, there’s a variety of options there.

“If it was that fight, then yeah, that does add that extra bit to it – that extra layer of interest and intrigue, because it’s, in technical terms, a world title. So yeah, look, that might be the ideal one out of the lot, but either way, I just want to be in them big fights. 

“I want it to be my name at the top of the bill, and everyone will be like, ‘Oh okay, that’s going to be a mad fight; everyone’s really excited to see it’. So whether it’s him; someone else; who knows?”

Wardley was a promotional free agent before the first of his two fights with Clarke – their entertaining and bloody draw in London in March 2024. He has since signed terms with Warren, which, complementing the statement he made in his rematch with Clarke, has transformed his career.

“I’m in a very good position,” he said. “So we’re just taking our time a little bit – making sure we’re picking the right move for me. The right opportunity; the right fight; the right opponent. Things are coming together, but nothing’s done; nothing’s set. So we’re just playing around with a few things.

“Depending on how things shape up for me, it’s more than likely I’m going to relinquish that belt and let it go. I’m pretty much done with British level now. 

“I’ve had some great fights there. It’s been a real honour to fight for the British belt as many times as I have, but I think I’ve had my moment with that. And it’s always good to just pass it on and let whoever else is going for it. 

“I remember when it was me and other people were holding on to it, and I was like, ‘Can you let go so I can have a go for it, please?’ So, yeah – it’s probably my time is done with that belt and at the British level. So we are really looking to keep on in the massive fights. 

“I’m just waiting to see how things go before we make any sure-set decisions.”

On the subject of fighting in his hometown of Ipswich, he added: “Just how much of a dream would that be? I think I might have started that rumour myself, to be honest. It’s something I’ve been speaking about for a long time. 

“I’ve wanted to do a massive fight in Ipswich because I feel like, one, I owe it to my fans who have been following me up and down the country all over and travelled to Riyadh [in Saudi Arabia] and this, that and everywhere else, to bring one home for them and say, ‘Look, it’s five minutes away – it’s down the road now, come and see’. It’s a discussion we’re having and hopefully it can come off and we can put it together. 

“Now we move into the realm of what opponent and then what do they want? Are they ready now? Are they ready in six months; six weeks; whatever? So there’s factors going into it that are out of my control. I can’t tell a fighter when he’s ready to fight me. So we’ll see. 

“We’ll see who it is; see how it falls. But yeah, the sooner the better, really. 

“There’s a couple of names we’ve been throwing around. I look through – because I’m number one in the WBA now – the rankings and look who they are. And anyone really in them top 10, I’m happy to go for.”