Anthony Joshua vs. Fabio Wardley? Warren Lays Down The Challenge

While his promoter Eddie Hearn remains as determined as ever to see a fight between his guy Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury take place next year, Fabio Wardley’s promoter Frank Warren has issued AJ a challenge: fight Wardley for the WBO heavyweight title next. That or get in there with red-hot heavyweight contender Moses Itauma.

Warren, speaking with Talk Sport, said that if Joshua really wants to fight again before landing a massive fight with Fury, then why not take a shot at winning the WBO belt, thus becoming a three-time heavyweight champion? But will AJ, and Hearn, take the risk of losing, thus blowing the Fury fight?

“If he really wants to fight, fight Moses now. Fight Fabio Wardley now,” Warren said, referring to Joshua. “Do it tomorrow. Sign it tomorrow. If he says yes, I’ll go round his house. I’d have gone there on Christmas Day, I’ll go round there and we’ll get the deal done. Of course I’ll do it. Why wouldn’t you do it? You want to fight for the world title? Fight Fabio Wardley. In the meantime, if you’re not, you want to wait for Tyson, wait for Tyson.”

It would be a risky fight for Joshua – fresh off his less than risky “fight” with Jake Paul – but a win over Wardley would, to repeat, see AJ become a three-time heavyweight champ. Also, a win over Wardley would almost certainly see Joshua become the fighter with the heftier negotiating clout going into a fight with Fury. And for us fans, a Joshua-Wardley clash would almost certainly prove to be a fun fight, a good action fight that would end in a KO one way or the other.

It seems there is no way Joshua would want to fight Itauma, for pretty obvious reasons, but a fight with Wardley, in the UK, in a big stadium affair next spring, with a legit world title up for grabs, well, as Warren asks, why wouldn’t he? The ball’s in Joshua’s court.