Fabio Wardley could be a threat to any heavyweight, including Oleksandr Usyk, says previous English title-holder Solomon Dacres.
In his last three fights Wardley has taken consecutive knockout victories over Frazer Clarke, Justis Huni and most recently Joseph Parker.
Those results have installed the Ipswich heavyweight as the mandatory challenger for the WBO heavyweight title, which undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk holds.
Wardley, who scarcely had an amateur career after starting out as a white-collar boxer, would be a significant underdog against Usyk, an Olympic gold medallist in addition to being a two-weight undisputed champion.
But Dacres, a former English heavyweight champion who has sparred Wardley, told SportNews: "No one's done it to Usyk, none of the unified champions, he's done it back to back against these champions, you can't ever go against him."
But he did not entirely rule out a Wardley knockout victory. "If it did happen it would be something miraculous. And, you know what, it could happen. Never say never. Never say never, honestly," Dacres said.
"You can't doubt anyone, especially in heavyweight boxing. You never know what's going to happen."
He added: "I thought Joe Parker would dominate and finish the job. That's what I thought going in. I rated Joe Parker, it's only right that I've got to give Fabio Wardley the ratings because he has beaten him.
"He is a dangerous opponent, that you can never be too comfortable in there against."
Dacres has lost once in 11 professional fights, when David Adeleye caught him and stopped him early. He bounced back though with an impressive victory over previously unbeaten Ukrainian Vladyslav Sirenko in July.
"So many people wrote me off going into that fight," Dacres said. "We just knew that we were going to beat him. People don't understand, I got clipped on the top of the head. One instant. One moment. It's not anything that's going to take away from my career and my ability. It was just an unlucky moment.
"I've been boxing all these years and that's never happened to me before, so touch wood it never happens again
"I still had the exact same confidence I always had. I always believed I could become world champion and I'm still going to keep believing that until the day I cannot throw a punch again."
He uses Wardley's example as an inspiration.
"From his background, white-collar fighting, at 20 years old or 21 years old he picked it up and getting to where he is now, beating people like Joe Parker, a former world champion, he's beat Olympians. He's beat guys with extensive amateur pedigree. If he can do that, then I'm just saying the sky is only the limit for me," Dacres reflected.
"It does make you believe in yourself."
His next target is Frazer Clarke, an old sparring partner of his from the GB squad.
"He's always been the No 1. I got on to GB, you could say he stopped me from going to the Olympics as well," Dacres said of Clarke.
"It was like a roadblock. He blocked my path to the Olympics the same way that Joe Joyce blocked his path to the Olympics.
"I'm sure he's made a lot more money than me based off going to those Olympics. I'm sure I could have been an Olympic medallist in the same time frame. It would be very satisfying to get that historic roadblock buried!"
