Undefeated rising British star Fabio Wardley (18-0-1, 16 KO) has been installed as the mandatory challenger to WBA regular heavyweight champion Kubrat Pulev (32-3, 14 KO).
Not only has the champion Pulev been instructed to face the No. 1 contender in the WBA heavyweight rankings, but the winner of the proposed bout has already been ordered to face another challenger immediately after.
The WBA’s ruling on the heavyweight division includes allowing their “Super” champion Oleksandr Usyk an extended period of two years to fulfill any mandatory requests, while WBA regular champion Pulev has to defend against Wardley first, then Michael Hunter by October 2025.
The WBA issued the following statement on their site on March 5: “The World Boxing Association has issued a resolution regarding the current situation in the heavyweight division, determining the special status of Super Champion Oleksandr Usyk and extending his mandatory defense period, while also defining the next steps for Champion Kubrat Pulev.”
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The committee analyzed the current state of the division, the individual situation of the Ukrainian champion and granted a 24-month period to fulfill his mandatory defense, with the intention of allowing the fighter to face the most relevant opponents in the division.
As for Pulev, the WBA regular champion, he must defend his title against Wardley, who is currently the number one ranked contender. The mandatory defense period will begin on March 5, 2025, and conclude on April 4, 2025.
The winner of Pulev vs. Wardley – or Pulev in the case of a draw – must then face Hunter, the third-ranked contender, in a mandatory defense within 120 days of that bout, with a final deadline of Oct. 25, 2025.
Undefeated Wardley, 30 years old from Ipswich, was in action twice during 2024. Firstly, he retained his British, Commonwealth, WBA Continental and WBO European heavyweight titles after a stalemate with bitter rival and compatriot Frazer Clarke in March. They rematched in Saudi Arabia in October, with Wardley scoring a stunning first-round stoppage which left “Big Fraze” with a shattered jaw.
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Only a few days ago on X, Fabio shared a post simply stating, “No distractions” including a picture of himself with the words “LOCKED IN” printed. When the news broke of the WBA’s ruling, he replied to the post to say, “Told you I was locked in!”
43-year-old Bulgarian Pulev also fought twice last year. He defeated Ihor Shevadzutskyi in his home city of Sofia for the vacant WBA International heavyweight belt. He then upgraded to the regular version of the world title with a unanimous decision over Mahmoud Charr, also in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The reaction from fight fans has been positive, with many backing the younger KO artist from the UK to emerge triumphant.
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