The World Boxing Association (WBA) has ordered that the “regular” heavyweight world champion Kubrat Pulev must defend his title against Briton Fabio Wardley.
The WBA is calling on Kubrat Pulev (32-3, 14 knockouts) to defend his “regular” title as heavyweight world champion against the association’s number one – Fabio Wardley (18-0-1, 17 knockouts). In contrast, the WBA gave its “super champ” Oleksandr Usyk, who also holds the WBC and WBO belts, a period of 24 months to fulfill his mandatory defense.
The decision on the fight between Pulev and Wardley was made on Wednesday, with the period for the mandatory defense set between March 5 and April 4. According to “Boxingscene”, it remains to be seen whether the fight will take place within this time frame or whether it will simply have to be agreed. The association has not yet commented on this.
Pulev vs. Wardley: Winner meets Hunter
The winner of Pulev vs. Wardley (or Pulev in the event of a draw) must then face US number three seed Michael Hunter within 120 days, according to the WBA decision.
The 43-year-old Pulev last fought in December when he defeated Mahmoud Charr to win the federation’s ‘regular’ belt. The 30-year-old Wardley, from Ipswich, England, made his breakthrough when he scored a first-round T.K.O. victory after a draw against rival Frazer Clarke in the first round of their rematch in October.
Rule change for “Super-Champ” Usyk
In its resolution, the WBA states that “super champion” Usyk last fulfilled his mandatory defense in August 2023, when he defeated current IBF title holder Daniel Dubois. Normally, the WBA stipulates that a world champion must defend his belt against a mandatory challenger every nine months. This rule will now be changed for Usyk.
Will Kabayel get his due?
This also increases the chance that the Ukrainian will instead fulfill his duties as the WBO and WBC title holder and fight Agit Kabayel. The 32-year-old German recently won the WBC “Interim” World Championship against Zhilei Zhang and was thus promoted to Usyk’s mandatory challenger.
The WBA’s intention is to give its champion the opportunity to fight against the most important opponents in the division. Especially as Usyk has been involved in extremely important fights for boxing “that mark a new era in the sport”, it is said. This should continue to be the focus, which is why the WBA has extended the deadline for his mandatory defense. This ultimately gives Usyk the flexibility to “look for the best possible fights”.
Text: Frank Schwantes