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Britain's Fabio Wardley is expected to be elevated to WBO heavyweight champion after Usyk chose to vacate his title

This follows after Usyk told boxing authorities he would avoid a mandatory title defence against his mandatory opponent

Official Announcement

The championship body announced that the champion decided to give up his championship following careful thought"

Usyk continues to possess the WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles, having overcome Daniel Dubois at the famous London venue in July to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion

He first became the four-belt undisputed champion in May 2024 by overcoming Tyson Fury, before giving up the IBF title a month afterwards and opting out of facing the obligatory contender

"WBO president Olivieri described Usyk as exceptional in a statement"

"Officials expressed its sincere admiration and thanks to Oleksandr Usyk, an undefeated, two-division WBO undisputed world champion"

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

The organization continued that its institution will continue to support Usyk and his team"

Title Reign

Usyk won the WBO belt in 2021 by overcoming Joshua and went on to successfully defend multiple times

In mid-year, the WBO had ordered negotiations for a required title defense against New Zealand's Parker, only for a Usyk's physical issue to cause the delay of the fight

New Champion's Path

But Wardley, won the provisional belt from the New Zealander with a major surprise in the 11th round at the famous London arena in the previous month and was ordered to fight the champion before the month's conclusion

The WBO is yet to officially confirm Wardley's promotion but his manager Warren believes it is a done deal

"England has a recent title holder and a emerging fighting personality"

"A truly extraordinary path during my long career as a sports manager and I could not be happier for the British fighter"

"Significant bouts in the future for the coming period as he defends his WBO belt and builds his reputation in the fighting community"

The champion started fighting relatively late, coming through the unlicensed white-collar scene and has had just 21 professional fights

What's Next

• The likely championship upgrade signals a major shift in the division
• The Ukrainian's move to give up the championship creates fresh possibilities for other contenders
• The fighting community now awaits official confirmation from the boxing organization
• The British fighter's journey from alternative background to title holder continues to capture attention