Who Next For Fabio Wardley After First-Round KO Of Frazer Clarke?

Fabio Wardley settled his rivalry with Frazer Clarke in devastating style on Saturday by delivering a brutal first-round knockout to retain his British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles.

The fight and its outcome was in stark contrast to their first bout in London seven months ago when Wardley and Clarke shared a riveting and deserved draw. The rematch was expected to be similarly close only for Wardley (18-0-1 17 KO) to shatter those predictions in less than three minutes, leaving Clarke (8-1-1 6 KO) requiring surgery on a fractured skull and broken jaw.

As Clarke’s professional career lies in tatters after only 10 fights, Wardley is looking to the future and is targeting fights with world-level opponents.

“I’m ready to mix it with those boys,” he said. “I’ve got the power to mix it with them all. I can take a shot. I can have a war. You’ve seen me do everything. I’m ready for that world stage now.”

So what are Wardley’s next options? Realistically, it’s too soon for the British champion to face the top fighters in the division, and perhaps even the leading contenders, but there is a whole collection of potential opponents on the next level down who could provide interesting challenges.

Here are five fighters Wardley could face on the next step of his career.

Guido Vianello

The giant Italian recently entered the heavyweight top 15 rankings after a superb eighth-round stoppage of the fearsome Arslanbek Makhmudov in August. That career-best victory in Montreal came after a narrow split-decision loss to high-ranking contender Efe Ajagba in April.

At 30 years old but only 16 fights into his pro career, Vianello (13-2-1 11 KO) is something of a late bloomer and he possesses solid all-round skills, plenty of power, and would provide an intriguing challenge for Wardley.

The biggest obstacle working against Vianello is that he’s still not a particularly big name and might represent an unnecessary risk for Wardley.

Jarrell Miller

‘Big Baby’ Miller, on the other hand, could be a risk worth taking for Wardley. The brash and cocky New Yorker has the sort of profile that would represent a good scalp for Wardley (should he win).

He has been active recently, too; he was unlucky to only draw with former unified world champion Andy Ruiz in August and gave reigning IBF title holder Daniel Dubois a tough battle before getting stopped in the final round last December.

Miller (26-1-2 22 KO) is a tough but limited fighter, possessing power but plenty of areas of weaknesses that Wardley would be confident in exploiting. The American would also play his part in the promotion of a bout and having twice fought on Riyadh Season shows, has an existing relationship with the Saudis.

Otto Wallin

Best known for the fights he’s lost than the many more he’s won, Wallin (27-2-0 15 KO) is a durable and experienced heavyweight who would represent the ideal next step for Wardley.

The Swedish fighter gave Tyson Fury a decent challenge back in 2019, opening up a giant cut on Fury’s eye that required a lot of stitches, before losing a wide points decision. Wallin’s clash with Anthony Joshua was less competitive in December 2023 when he was stopped inside five rounds.

Still ranked in the top 12 by both the WBC and IBF, 33-year-old Wallin is approaching the back end of his career and would surely be interested in a decent payday to fight Wardley. A smart fighter with solid fundamentals, he would provide a solid boxing test to Wardley without the risk of facing a fighter with concussive power.

Derek Chisora

It’s widely agreed that Chisora (35-13-0 23 KO) should have left boxing a long time ago, but the British veteran continues to fight on and is enjoying a successful twilight.

After beating Gerald Washington in August 2023, Chisora rolled back the years to dominate former British champion Joe Joyce on points in July, before stating he still has a couple of fights left.

Chisora has fought practically every good fighter of his generation, frequently acting as a gatekeeper for heavyweight rivals on their way up, including Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, and Dillian Whyte.

Wardley is seeking to make a similar next step and facing Chisora has become almost a rite of passage. Chisora is also enduringly popular among British fight fans so this is a fight that would sell.

Frank Sanchez

If Wardley is looking to challenge himself against an opponent ranked higher than him, then Sanchez (24-1-0 17 KO) could be a good option.

The Cuban has not fought since suffering his first and only defeat when he was outclassed by Agit Kabayel in May, but he has good wins on his record, including over Christian Hammer, Efe Ajagba, and Junior Fa.

Sanchez remains inside the top-eight rankings with the IBF and WBC, so a win for Wardley would give him a big boost towards the upper end of the division. Whether Sanchez fancies taking the risk following defeat would likely depend on the size of the paycheck to face Wardley.