Warren Wants To Make AJ vs. Wardley

Frank Warren has doubled down on his urge for Anthony Joshua to step into the ring with WBO Heavyweight Champion Fabio Wardley, stating he is ready to finalize the deal immediately. 

Joshua enters this conversation following a sixth-round knockout of Jake Paul—a victory that re-established his dominance but left questions about his level of opposition. Following the win, Joshua called out Tyson Fury, but the “Gypsy King” remains a wild card. Fury officially retired in January after back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk, though he has since teased a 2026 return, stating he would un-retire “if the deal is right.”

In the meantime, Fabio Wardley is now a champion. Originally the WBO interim holder after his win over Joseph Parker, Wardley was elevated when Usyk vacated the belt rather than face his mandatory challenger.

Warren’s push for a Joshua-Wardley showdown is aggressive. The promoter joked he would have personally visited Joshua’s house on Christmas Day to get the contract signed. However, the stakes for Joshua are incredibly high:

• The Risk: A loss to Wardley would likely permanently derail the long-awaited “Battle of Britain” against Fury.
• The Reward: Wardley offers Joshua a direct path to becoming a three-time world champion.
• The Commercial Split: While Wardley holds the belt, the Fury fight remains the significantly larger commercial draw.

Warren Reacts

While Joshua could have a “tune-up” in February or March, Warren is adamant that if Joshua truly wants to prove he belongs back at the top, he should bypass the placeholders and take on Wardley.

“Fight Fabio Wardley, do it tomorrow, sign it tomorrow. If he says yes, I’ll go round to his house right now. Christmas Day I’ll go round there, and we will get the deal done. Why wouldn’t you do it? You said you want to fight for a world title, fight Fabio Wardley. In the meantime, if you’re not [wanting to fight for a world title] and you want to wait for Tyson, then wait for Tyson.

“All of these people keep saying he needs to do these things to get back [and fight] for a world title, he’s no spring chicken, he’s been around and he’s a two-time world champion. If he wants to jump back in, then there you go, Fabio Wardley – another guy who has had no amateur experience. Let me tell you what it is, what he doesn’t need to do, AJ, is fight anybody who can punch, because then there won’t be a fight with Tyson,” Warren said