Fabio Wardley had hoped to face Oleksandr Usyk in 2026, but Ukraine’s unified heavyweight ruler has instead proceeded with a left-field fight with Dutch kickboxer, Rico Verhoeven.

After knocking out Joseph Parker to get his hands on the WBO Interim heavyweight title, Wardley called for a showdown with Usyk, hoping to secure a shot at the coveted undisputed throne.

However, Usyk responded by vacating the WBO world title – with Wardley being elevated to world champion as a result – and was linked to a return to fighting across the pond in possible meetings against either Deontay Wilder or Andy Ruiz Jr.

Two weeks ago, it was instead announced that Usyk will head to Cairo, Egypt, to defend his WBC heavyweight world title against Verhoeven – who boasts a professional boxing record of just 1-0.

Speaking to Boxing News, Wardley admitted that he found the news ‘underwhelming’, declaring that he hopes Usyk will soon return to ‘actual’ professional boxing.

“I think it [my reaction] was the same as the rest of the boxing world, it [the announcement] was quite underwhelming. I understand that he has earned the right to do what he wants but I at least expected it to be [against] an active boxer.

“I don’t actually know much about Verhoeven in terms of what his quality level is, but I expected it [the fight] to be against a decent calibre professional boxer, but if it’s not, fine, do your thing.

“Hopefully he returns to actual professional boxing, against some of the top elites.”

Usyk-Verhoeven will take place at the Pyramids of Giza on Saturday, May 23, as Verhoeven has the chance to become the fastest heavyweight world champion in boxing history.