Fabio Wardley was named WBO heavyweight champion on Tuesday after Oleksandr Usyk relinquished the title.
In doing so, the Ipswich-born KO artist became just the 11th Briton ever to win the world heavyweight championship, having been elevated by the WBO after claiming the interim title with a dramatic stoppage of Joseph Parker last month.
Wardley has enjoyed an emphatic rise since taking up the sport at the age of 20 and making his start in the unlicensed white-collar boxing scene.
Despite his relative inexperience the 30-year-old has yet to falter since moving into the professional ranks, with an all-action 2024 draw with Frazer Clarke the only blemish on an otherwise perfect record across 21 fights.
With the heavyweight title pictured now fragmented once more, Wardley will have the opportunity to land some of the biggest fights in the division.
But what's next for the 30-year-old? Read on as we assess some of his options.
Daniel Dubois
Champions rarely have the luxury of taking a step down in opposition and Wardley is unlikely to be an exception in that regard.
As such, he may soon find himself en route to a showdown with one of the biggest domestic powerhouses in the heavyweight division, 'Dynamite' Daniel Dubois.
Dubois is reeling after losing his IBF heavyweight title in a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in July and will no doubt be itching to have a major belt back around his waist.
The pair had been slated to fight last year, and an all-British showdown between would comfortably draw a sell-out crowd to Portman Road.
Moses Itauma
At just 20 years old, Moses Itauma has already set the world of boxing by storm.
With a first-round destruction of Dillian Whyte in August Itauma proved that he is ready to take on the biggest names in the division, and he will be keen to maintain his phenomenal momentum when he looks to become the first man to stop Jermaine Franklin in January.
Should Itauma add a 14th victory to his unblemished professional record, the WBO are set to order a clash between he and Wardley - despite the fact that they are both trained by Ben Davison.
Gustavo Olivieri, president of the sanctioning body, revealed this week that will seek to make Itauma a mandatory challenger, potentially setting up a 2026 clash between the stablemates.
Filip Hrgovic
Should the WBO search within their own rankings for a potential opponent for Wardley, Filip Hrgovic would seemingly be an ideal candidate.
The Croatian has won back-to-back fights since suffering his first career defeat against fellow list entrant Daniel Dubois, having most recently dominated David Adeleye over ten rounds in August.
That victory saw Hrgovic retain his WBO International title and the 33-year-old ranked second in the sanctioning body's latest heavyweight rankings.
The 2016 Olympic bronze medallist is an accomplished technician with a skillset to give Wardley problems, but his defeat to Dubois could offer the perfect blueprint for the champion to follow if he is to get off to a winning start with the belt.
Agit Kabayel
Fast earning a reputation as the boogeyman of the division, Germany's Agit Kabayel represents a high-risk low-reward fight for Wardley as he looks to make the first defence of his title.
The 33-year-old was a long-reigning European champion before making the step up to world level and has not put a foot wrong since.
In his last three fights Kabayel has comprehensively dispatched Arslanbek Makhmudov, Frank Sanchez and Zhilei Zhang, with the latter earning him the WBC interim heavyweight strap.
Kayabel is scheduled to defend that title in January but do not be surprised if Wardley elects to test himself against one of the toughest tests in the division when the opportunity arises.
Oleksandr Usyk
Speaking of tough challenges...
Should Wardley look to take the toughest opportunity available to him there really is only one option.
Oleksandr Usyk has ushered in a new era of dominance in the heavyweight division, dispatching Britain's best heavyweights of the modern era several times over.
It still isn't clear why the former cruiserweight king elected to drop the WBO title but Wardley could write his name in the record books by managing to wrest the rest of his of his gold from him in the ring.
Usyk's deceptive power and masterful technical ability would make him an overwhelming favourite if the pair were ever scheduled to fight, but stranger things have happened in heavyweight boxing.
