Itauma, Okolie, Riakporhe: Who could be the next British world heavyweight champion?

Fabio Wardley made history when he became heavyweight champion last month, and there are already plenty of British rivals snapping at his heels to repeat that feat.

The Ipswich-born star produced another come-from-behind victory when stopping Joseph Parker in the eleventh round of their war at London’s O2 Arena in October to continue his fairytale journey in boxing’s glamour division.

He was subsequently upgraded to full champion by the WBO when Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title, and that completed an unlikely rise from white-collar fighter to world title holder for Wardley.

There are plenty of domestic rivals looking to follow in his footsteps and DAZN News runs through the leading British contenders who could be set for a shot at a major belt in 2026.

Moses Itauma

The exciting knockout artist continued his rapid rise up the ranks with a demolition job on Dillian Whyte in the first round of their clash in Riyadh in August.

At just twenty years old, it seems a matter of if - not when - Itauma becomes a world champion and a victory over Jermain Franklin in January, live on DAZN, would take him a step closer to a title shot.

He is currently the number one challenger for Wardley with the WBO and the WBA also have him in the same spot, with Kubrat Pulev and Murat Gassiev fighting for the latter’s ‘regular’ title on Friday.

Itauma could be fighting the winner for that strap if he gets past Franklin next month.

Lawrence Okolie

Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

The former cruiserweight and bridgerweight champion also has a number one ranking now thanks to the WBC placing him in pole position for a shot at WBC belt holder Usyk.

The Londoner has won both his outings since stepping up to heavyweight, with his first-round stoppage of Hussein Muhammed followed by a shutout points victory over Kevin Lerena on the undercard of Usyk’s rematch with Daniel Dubois in July.

Okolie is due to headline a card in Nigeria on Friday, 19 December and he will have a very close eye on what Usyk does next after that.

Tyson Fury

GettyImages

While he officially retired after the second of his two defeats to Usyk, many expect him to return in 2026 and he will no doubt immediately get a loft ranking with at least one of the governing bodies if he does.

‘The Gypsy King’ believes he was very unlucky not to get the decision in both of those bouts with Usyk and he has openly expressed his desire to get a third crack at the Ukrainian, which would command a huge purse for both men again.

There is also Fury's long-awaited showdown with fierce domestic rival Joshua to consider and Saudi supremo Turki Alalshikh has already teased the fans by hinting that is his big surprise for next year.

Anthony Joshua

Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing

We don’t know for certain that Tyson Fury will fight again yet but we do know Anthony Joshua will do, as he takes on YouTuber Jake Paul in Miami on Friday, 19 December.

That should be no more than a lucrative tune-up for the Olympic gold medallist and it can set him up for some more traditional big fights in 2026.

A victory in a potential fight with Fury would put Joshua in a great position for a crack at becoming a three-time heavyweight champion, while Usyk hasn’t ruled out facing ‘AJ’ for a third time either.

Richard Riakporhe

Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing

He might be a surprise name on the list to many but he is ranked number twelve with the WBO and a big win in early 2026 could really put him in the mix for world title discussions.

After failing in his crack at a cruiserweight belt when outpointed by Chris Billam-Smith last year, ‘The Midnight Train’ has blasted out Kevin Nicolas Espindola (RTD4) and Tommy Welch (TKO2) since stepping up to heavyweight.

At 6’5” with a huge frame, heavyweight could be where Riakporhe always belonged and don’t rule out him making serious waves with the big boys next year.

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