Former undisputed king Oleksandr Usyk, who vacated the WBO title, and thus allowed Wardley to be elevated from interim to full champion by the sanctioning body, has the rest of the belts in The Ring, IBF, WBA and WBC titles.

“The Gypsy King” Tyson Fury returns Saturday from a fifth retirement to take on Arslanbek Makhmudov in London on Netflix with the intent to eventually become a three-time heavyweight champion. But Wardley doesn’t see a path in which the former long-reigning division linchpin can become a crownholder once again.

“If Fury beats Makhmudov on Saturday, I wouldn't be surprised if he calls me out – and I'd 100% be up for that fight later in the year,” Wardley told BBC. “In fact, I was pushing for Fury as an opponent before we announced my upcoming fight against Daniel Dubois on May 9.

“I was the one saying yes, and Fury actually was the one who said, ‘Let me have a little time, I've had a year out, let me have a warm-up.’

“Of course, the priority for me will always be an undisputed fight against Usyk. I want to test myself against the best in the world. But if Fury does his thing and, God willing, I defend my belt against Dubois, then we can have a conversation.

“But although it's good to have Fury back in a boxing ring – in the current state of the heavyweight division – I can't see how Fury becomes a world champion again. He would have to fight either Usyk or me, and do I think he can beat either of us? No.

“If the titles get fractured – if Usyk is stripped of a belt for one reason or another – and Fury fights someone like Lawrence Okolie or Agit Kabayel for a vacant title, then yes, he can become champion.

“Regardless of the belts, there will always be an appetite for him to fight Anthony Joshua as well. No matter what, they could be 50, and if we haven't seen it, we'd still want to see it. It would generate huge public interest.”

Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) is coming off an 11th-round stoppage win against Joseph Parker in October.

The 31-year-old Ipswich native takes on another former heavyweight titleholder in the always dangerous Dubois next month at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester on DAZN.

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.