British heavyweight Fabio Wardley is being lined up for a ‘late September-early October’ return – and Kubrat Pulev remains a target.

Wardley’s last appearance was a dramatic come-from-behind victory over previously undefeated Justis Huni at Portman Road in Wardley’s hometown of Ipswich, England on June 7.

It was a win that moved Wardley up to No.7 in The Ring’s heavyweight rankings. The knockout shot which landed in the 10th round was further proof that the former white-collar boxer is a hard night’s work for any heavyweight on the planet.

But just a week after his win in the Suffolk rain, he and his partner welcomed their first child, a daughter, with Wardley confirming that a period of ‘daddy day care’ will now take precedence over his boxing career.

Even so, his promoter, Frank Warren, confirmed to The Ring that Wardley will certainly return well before the year is out.

“Congratulations to him and his partner,” Warren said. “The timing of it all could not have gone any better in the end. Of course he will have a little break, but I would think we will see him back in the ring in late September or early October, that sort of time frame. A few months off, then right back into it.”

However, working out who his opponent will be on that date is complicated, even for boxing standards.

Wardley (19-0-1, 18 KOs) claimed the WBA interim heavyweight strap with his victory over Australia’s Huni (12-1, 7 KOs), but that will not guarantee him the next shot at the full title.

While Oleksandr Usyk currently holds that belt, which he will put it on the line against Daniel Dubois on July 19 at Wembley Stadium in London, Kubrat Pulev remains the WBA regular heavyweight champion.

The WBA decided that a four-man tournament would take place to decide who would get the shot at Usyk. Wardley beat Huni in what was essentially their semifinal, while Pulev is slated to face Michael Hunter in the other one.

Don King won the $1.1 million purse bid for that fight in May and it was announced that it would take place on August 23, as part of celebrations for King’s 94th birthday week.

As reported by The Ring, locations across Florida, Las Vegas, Ohio and Pennsylvania were all being considered. Now a month on, there has been no official confirmation of those details.

As part of their original plan, the WBA declared that the winners of Wardley-Huni and Pulev-Hunter would have to fight each other before December 31, with the winner going on to fight for its full title in 2026.

However, should Pulev and Hunter face each other on August 23, that would be just five or six weeks before Wardley is supposed to return. That would therefore make a fight between Wardley and the winner incredibly unlikely, ruining the WBA's timeframe.

It would not be out of the question, however, for Wardley to fight in September, then face the winner of Pulev-Hunter some time in December. That would represent an incredibly busy schedule for the new dad.

When asked whether Bulgaria’s Pulev (32-3, 14 KOs) remains a target, Warren added: “I’d like that fight for Fabio. I think it’s a good fight. After the big fight at Wembley on July 19, someone is going to hold all four belts. The first mandatory due is the WBO, then it goes from there.

“Maybe the undisputed champion defends all four belts, maybe they will have a rematch, or maybe some of the belts get vacated. Once we know what happens in that fight, all the contenders lining up will know what is next.

“By knocking out Huni, Fabio kept himself right near the front of that queue and it’s a great spot to be in. And when you can punch like he can, he is always in with a chance.”