Tyson Fury has opened the door to a fight with Fabio Wardley after reversing his retirement.
Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) has been training in Thailand as he plans his ring return this year, ending his latest spell on the sidelines.
His reemergence into the heavyweight landscape comes with uncertainty over Anthony Joshua's next steps, after his involvement in a car crash which killed two friends.
Fury and Joshua were planning to fight later in 2026, according to their promoters.
But Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs), the WBO heavyweight champion and ESPN's best British boxer of 2025, wants to face Fury.
"I'd more than welcome it," Wardley told Sky Sports News.
"It would be a fight that I'm hugely up for. I like to target the big names in the division, the big boys, the top players. And he's one of those.
"So give me a call anytime.
"He's a huge name, a big character in the game. He's someone I'd love to hop in the ring with."
Fury responded via social media: "Let's see how I look and get on in my return."
That hints at Fury's intention to take a warm-up fight before facing one of his top divisional rivals.
A fight against fellow Brit Wardley would be feasible because they share Frank Warren as a promoter.
It would enable Fury to reclaim the WBO belt that he initially took from Wladimir Klitschko over a decade ago.
Wardley became WBO champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt. He is seeking his first defence of the gold after a thrilling three-fight streak of stoppages over Frazer Clarke, Justis Huni (which ESPN named the best British knockout of 2025) and Joseph Parker.
Fury, meanwhile, retired after consecutive losses to Usyk and has been out of the ring for more than a year.
Usyk still holds the IBF, WBA and WBC heavyweight titles.
