FABIO WARDLEY celebrated the news of becoming world champion with a glass of wine on the plane – giving take off for a fight with Anthony Joshua.
won the interim WBO title with a at London’s O2 Arena in October.
Fabio Wardley celebrated the news of becoming world champion with a glass of wine on the planeCredit: Reuters
But he was elevated to the full belt , with Wardley finding out at the airport.
It proved the perfect way to start his first family holiday, toasting to the news .
Wardley, 30, told SunSport: “My management team called me a few hours before the news broke and just gave me the heads up.
“They said, ‘Look this is how things are gonna go, this is gonna come out in the next few hours or so, obviously we wanted to be the ones to tell you, to congratulate you, obviously wish you well done and all that.’
“Then a few hours later, news came out and then the phone blew up. I was actually about to board a plane with my missus and my baby.
“So for the first time while going away with the baby, it was a perfect time to be honest, just surrounded by those loved ones.
“Had a little laugh with them and just hung up the phone and said, ‘I’m world champion!’
“[We had] a little wine on the flight to celebrate, a little champagne.”
It capped off a remarkable rise for Wardley, who only began boxing aged 20 while working in recruitment
At that point, was the unified world champion and part of the reason Wardley first laced up the gloves.
They formerly sparred and shared the same trainer in Ben Davison – but with AJ since leaving the gym it sets up a tasty Best of British world title bout.
Wardley said at the 2025 in Dubai: “It’d be a lot of things to be honest.
“A previous gym-mate, previous stable-mate, someone I’ve been around, someone I’ve watched even before I put on a pair of gloves.
“Someone I always watched boxing, someone who I admire in that sense as well and he’s done a tremendous amount for the sport.
“So it’d be a lot of things to then share the ring for him for a world title, and a passing of the torch moment.”
But Wardley admits beating his idol Joshua and sending him into retirement
He said: “Don’t get me wrong, he’s not got 20 fights left in his career, so it’s not like I’m cutting his career short at all.
“He’s had one hell of a career, so if anything it’d be an honour to kind of him to go out with in a fight with me.”
Joshua, 36, returns in a shock bout on Netflix against YouTuber-turned-boxer , 28, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
But Wardley said: “I don’t think it’s one I need to set my alarm for.
“I think it’s one that’s done and dusted and ticked off. We’re all pretty sure how it’s going to go.”
Wardley stopped Joseph Parker in round 11Credit: Getty
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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