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England's Fabio Wardley will be upgraded to world boxing champion after Usyk decided to relinquish his title

This development comes after Ukrainian fighter notified the WBO he would avoid a required championship defense against his mandatory opponent

Official Announcement

The championship body announced that the champion decided to give up his title after thoughtful consideration"

The Ukrainian maintains the WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles, having overcome Daniel Dubois at the famous London venue in the summer month to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion

He originally secured the complete unified champion in May 2024 by overcoming Tyson Fury, before vacating another belt shortly after and deciding not to fight the mandatory challenger

"Organization head Gustavo Olivieri praised the Ukrainian fighter in a official release"

"Officials expressed its deep appreciation and respect to the Ukrainian champion, an perfect record holder across weight classes"

"His career stands as one of the most extraordinary and historic of the contemporary boxing period"

The WBO added that its organization will always welcome the fighter and his management"

Title Reign

Usyk secured the world title in recently by beating the British star and went on to successfully defend multiple times

In mid-year, the boxing organization mandated talks for a obligatory championship fight against New Zealand's Parker, only for a Usyk's physical issue to require rescheduling of the fight

Wardley's Rise

But Wardley, 30, won the provisional belt from his opponent with a significant shock in the 11th round at London's O2 Arena in the previous month and was mandated to face Usyk before the month's conclusion

The boxing organization hasn't formally announced the title change but his promoter Frank Warren believes it is a formality

"Britain has a fresh boxing champion and a emerging fighting personality"

"A truly extraordinary path throughout my decades as a promoter and I could not be happier for the British fighter"

"Significant bouts in the future for next year as he defends his WBO belt and establishes his place in the sport"

Wardley only began boxing relatively late, coming through the unlicensed white-collar scene and has had just 21 professional fights

Future Prospects

• The likely championship upgrade signals a major shift in the weight class
• The Ukrainian's move to vacate the belt paves the way for more fighters
• The fighting community now anticipates verification from the championship body
• The British fighter's journey from alternative background to championship status continues to capture attention