Warren paints heavyweight unification picture for 2027

Key points

• Frank Warren plans heavyweight unification fights in 2027 and wants Usyk back.
• Daniel Dubois defends his WBO belt against Fabio Wardley in London on Saturday.
• Warren says the WBA super title will be at stake for Fury vs Joshua on 11 December.

Promoter Frank Warren has outlined plans to stage heavyweight world-title unification fights in 2027 and hopes to bring former undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk back into the division. The four major titles are currently held by different champions, with Warren promoting three of them.

Daniel Dubois, who holds the WBO belt, will defend it against Fabio Wardley at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday. The pair meet five months after Dubois recovered from two early knockdowns to stop Wardley in the 11th round in Manchester.

Unification plans and Usyk

Warren, who also promotes WBC champion Agit Kabayel and IBF title-holder Filip Hrgovic, said the winner of Dubois-Wardley will be well placed to chase more world titles. He told the 5 Live Boxing podcast: "The plan is to make the unification fights happen and try to get Usyk back in it."

Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era by beating Tyson Fury in May 2024. The Ukrainian, who narrowly escaped a scare against boxing novice Rico Verhoeven in May, has since vacated his titles.

The plan is to make the unification fights happen and try to get Usyk back in it.

— Frank Warren

WBA title and Itauma return

Warren said the WBA 'super' heavyweight championship will be at stake when Fury and Anthony Joshua meet in Cardiff on 11 December. "The WBA have put that belt up for them," he said. However, the sanctioning body has not publicly confirmed the arrangement, with Russia's Murat Gassiev still listed as its sole heavyweight champion. Gassiev could be relegated to 'regular' champion status if the WBA awards its primary 'super' title to the Fury-Joshua winner.

Warren also confirmed British heavyweight Moses Itauma will return to the ring in January as he looks to rebuild and challenge for a world title in 2027. The 21-year-old suffered his first professional defeat in August, stopped in the ninth round by Hrgovic, who claimed the vacant IBF title. "He's fighting in January. We'll be announcing his fight in the next couple of weeks," Warren said.