Fabio Wardley

Bio

Right then — Fabio Wardley is the white-collar boxer turned WBO heavyweight world champion from Ipswich, and his story is one of the more remarkable in modern British boxing. He never boxed as an amateur in any meaningful sense. He turned over in 2017, learned on the job, and ended up holding a world title.

Wardley's punching power is the headline — 19 stoppages from 22 outings tells you everything. He's signed to Frank Warren's Queensberry stable and built his profile through grinding domestic-level work before announcing himself with that brutal first-round demolition of Frazer Clarke in their second meeting on the Riyadh card. Make no mistake, that night told you he belonged at the top.

He picked up the interim WBO heavyweight title in October 2025 and was elevated to the full strap in November 2025. The honeymoon ended in Manchester on May 9, 2026, when Daniel Dubois stopped him in the eleventh round. Brutal night. He showed proper heart staying in the fight as long as he did, but Dubois was levels above on the night.

Credit where it's due — Wardley wasted no time activating the rematch clause. He wants the belt back and he wants Dubois again. If you know, you know: this is a fighter who learned how to box on the job and won a world title doing it. Writing him off after one loss would be daft.