Fabio Wardley has set his sights on an American debut in 2026 – and he wants to make it at Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n
The 31-year-old was upgraded to full WBO heavyweight champion of the world in November and his team are now in the process of arranging the first defence of his new title.<\/p>\n
As reported by The Ring, all-British fights against either Tyson Fury or Derek Chisora<\/a> are both high on Wardley\u2019s wish list but he has now revealed another goal for the new year. \u201cI\u2019ve got a world title now but I\u2019m not trying to sit and hold onto it and hide away with it, I want to be busy and fighting regularly.<\/p>\n \u201cI want big fights, big names, big events and big occasions. I\u2019ve had some already in my career and ticked off some great achievements and milestones but that has only made me want more.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we\u2019ve done all that, then what can\u2019t we do this? Why can\u2019t we do Madison Square Garden? That\u2019s where I\u2019d like to go. That\u2019s high on my list now and I have no plans of easing up, I have always looked for the biggest challenges and that\u2019s not going to change now.\u201d<\/p>\n However a fight at Madison Square Garden would require an adequate dance partner and Wardley revealed that his original idea for an opponent has been stolen<\/a> by none other than Ring, WBA, IBF and WBC champion Oleksandr Usyk.<\/p>\n \u201cAn idea I had coming into the year was the Wilder fight as well,\u201d Wardley adds. \u201cBut someone snatched that off me. So, that would have been a great one to do in America and that\u2019s the sort of fight that would work at MSG.”<\/p>\n Another possibility could be a showdown with Jared Anderson, the man once hailed as the future of the heavyweight division. His progress was wrecked by Martin Bakole in 2024 when he was knocked out in the fifth round of their Los Angeles clash but he got back to winning ways in February and is currently ranked at No. 5 with the WBO.<\/p>\n Wardley said: “The opponent definitely does matter because I\u2019ve never fought in America before so the crowd is new to me. There’s going to have to be a good opponent on the other side that’s going to make it a good fight, a worthy story for the fans to come out and want to watch.<\/p>\n \u201cReally I’m just looking for new achievements, new milestones, new things to tick off. Because when I do sit down eventually and look back on my career, I want to look back and know I didn’t leave any stone unturned.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a time when Wardley, the former white-collar fighter with no amateur experience, was seen as high risk and little reward for other heavyweight contenders. But everything changed once he claimed the WBO title with even Fury<\/a> now calling him out as he plots a route back from his most recent retirement.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are a lot more open to fighting me these days,\u201d Wardley says. \u201cThe world title is a very shiny bauble that people want to get their hands on – the likes of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. What the belt does is keep these conversations alive for way longer than beforehand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want 2026 to be big and busy,\u201d Wardley told The Ring<\/a>.<\/p>\n