Tyson Fury named Fabio Wardley this week. Not as a plan. Not as a target. As an option.
Responding to fans on social media, Fury said Wardley “could be an option” later in 2026. That alone was enough to spark excitement, given Wardley’s status as WBO heavyweight champion and the lack of clarity over Fury’s future. But the comment also highlighted a more immediate question. Whether Fury can even reach that point.
Fury continues to talk publicly about a big summer fight, with Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk still floating as the obvious names. This is where the problem begins. Fury has lost twice to Usyk. The second fight produced little evidence of adaptation or physical improvement. If anything, it strengthened the gap.
Recent training material has only added to the uncertainty. Fury looked older. Slower. Light through the torso, soft through the middle. He turns 38 in August 2026, but the wear shows earlier than that. Heavyweight longevity is forgiving until it isn’t, and Fury no longer looks like a fighter who is comfortably buying time.
This matters when talking about a path that includes dangerous battles before Wardley even gets realistic. A summer fight against Joshua or another top contender is not a formality. A setup, if poorly chosen, is no guarantee either. One loss sends Fury straight back into retirement talk. Another decisive one probably ends the conversation altogether.
Wardley, on the other hand, is moving forward. He is younger. He is active. He hits hard. He is not a ring name fighter who happens to come in as soon as decline sets in. The idea of ​​Fury challenging for that belt later in the year sounds attractive on paper, but paper doesn’t absorb punches.
For now, Wardley remains a possibility in theory. The harder part is whether Fury can survive the months ahead well enough for that option to still exist.
Click here to subscribe to our FREE newsletter
Related Boxing News:
Last updated on 01/07/2026
