But who should he do that against?

The 31-year-old from Ipswich remains one of the biggest punchers in the division and a dangerous proposition for any of his fellow contenders.

He is expected to take some time away from the ring, with his second child due in December, but will be keen to get back on the horse thereafter. The Ring takes a look at who he could face in his comeback.

Although "The Big Uzbek" is not exactly pulling up trees as a heavyweight contender, he is winning every time and never looks like losing. The two-time Olympic champion, ranked No. 7 with the WBO, registered his 18th pro win on Saturday’s undercard by widely outpointing Sol Dacres over 10 rounds in what was his second fight since signing with Queensberry. His promoters will no doubt be looking to step him up once again in his next fight and Wardley will be part of the conversation. Given it’s a 6-foot7 awkward southpaw against a hellacious puncher with no belt, this would be a classic meeting of Who Needs Him? Club executives.

From a business perspective, this one does not make much sense given that Riakporhe is British champion and Wardley first won that belt four years ago. But it’s just a great fight between two big punchers that would shift a load of tickets at O2 Arena. Who knows how it would work, given that Riakporhe is with Boxxer and Wardley is with Queensberry but, as stated, it’s just a great fight between two big punchers that would shift a load of tickets at O2 Arena. Riakporhe (20-1, 16 KOs) has impressed since moving up to heavyweight, with stoppage wins against Kevin Espindola (RTD 4), Tommy Welch (TKO 2) and Jamie TKV (TKO 5). It’s time for a step up and Wardley would provide that. It's just a great fight between ... you get the gist.

Wardley has made no secret of his desire to one day crack America. Now the belt is gone and he is free to turn in any direction he chooses, this might be the perfect time to do so. Anderson has not boxed since February last year and was scheduled to face Dacres on the undercard of Wardley-Dubois 1 in Manchester before he sustained an injury in training camp. He was then in the frame to fight Dacres this time around but Jalolov got the nod instead. It means Anderson has not boxed since signing a co-promotional deal with Queensberry in March but Wardley may be able to change that.

Another big name Stateside who might just fancy the job against Wardley is Ruiz Jr. Of course his most famous night came against a different Brit in Anthony Joshua seven years ago but he has never come close to topping that. His last outing ended in defeat to Damian Knyba in September so he will not be as expensive as he once was either. The fly in the ointment, believe it or not, could be Dave Allen, who is hoping to lure Ruiz to Sheffield for a fight in the spring. Perhaps Queensberry will look to offer the likeable 37-year-old a different route over to the UK. It is the sort of fight that would sell well in London or back at the home of Ipswich Town FC, Portman Road, should they wish to go back down that route.

One man who is definitely up for a fight in the UK is Gassiev, who has been on the hunt for an outing on British shores for years. Not only does he want to watch some Premier League football while he is over here, but the 33-year-old reckons an eye-catching victory in London would pave the way to even bigger fights. Derek Chisora, 42, wants to fight him after deciding against retirement but with no agreement in place, the Russian might end up fighting Wardley instead. With the WBA title now on the line in Cardiff when Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury fight, it is not clear where Gassiev will head now. Maybe he will turn up somewhere in the Suffolk countryside next year.