The Ring’s No.1-rated heavyweight was elevated to position as full champion when Oleksandr Usyk opted to vacate his title instead of arranging a fight with Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs).

As such, the WBO sent the man from Ipswich his new title in the mail - but it included one glaring error.

“So it came maybe three or four weeks ago,” said Wardley, who defends his belt against Daniel Dubois on May 9.

“I had it delivered and my manager Michael Ofo brought it to the gym where I was. He hadn’t opened it because he obviously wanted me to.

“So I open it up, it’s all nice and shiny, cool. It has got the medallions on the side, one says the date I won the title but then on the other side it says ‘Fabio Wardley - the White Rhino’. So I was like "what the hell is going on here?"

Wardley does not have a ring moniker but his compatriot Dave Allen, the popular Yorkshireman, is known as The White Rhino.

However, the WBO heavyweight champion has often joked that he is known as ‘White Collar Wardley’ due to the fact that he never boxed as an amateur and that his only experience before turning professional were four outings on the Suffolk white collar circuit.

“It took me a little while to notice that they had got it wrong,” Wardley continued during a media roundtable on Wednesday. “I was looking at it, thinking it looks cool, showing my coach and what not. Then I looked a bit closer and saw the White Rhino on there and thought ‘Dave Allen hasn’t won this belt’.



“My only deduction is somewhere along the lines they got ‘White Collar Wardley’. It's not even my nickname so I don't even know why they stuck it on there in the first place. I've done it to myself.



“But they sent me a fresh one, redid it, I’ve checked it and it’s all good - no more Dave Allen.”



Despite the WBO’s error, Wardley insists he did not feel disrespected and was happy to see the funny side of the rick.

“They said sorry so what's there to cry about? It is what it is. Human error.

“I'm not going to kick up a fuss and start having a go. There's only a little laugh in it. No one's hurt. It's alright. 


“I’ve got my new one. It says Fabio Wardley.”