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Britain's heavyweight contender will be upgraded to world boxing champion after Usyk chose to vacate his title

This development comes after Usyk notified the WBO he would not proceed with a mandatory title defence against Wardley

WBO Statement

The championship body announced that Usyk had "elected to relinquish his title after thoughtful consideration"

The Ukrainian maintains the WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles, having overcome Daniel Dubois at the national stadium in July to become a double undisputed champion

He first became the complete unified champion in spring 2024 by defeating the British champion, before giving up the IBF title five weeks later and deciding not to fight the obligatory contender

"Organization head Olivieri praised the Ukrainian fighter in a announcement"

"The organization offers its sincere admiration and thanks to the Ukrainian champion, an undefeated, two-division WBO undisputed world champion"

"His career stands as one of the most extraordinary and historic of the recent fighting history"

The WBO added that its organization will always welcome the champion and his camp"

Belt Timeline

Usyk won the world title in 2021 by defeating Anthony Joshua and went on to defend it four times

In mid-year, the WBO had ordered negotiations for a required title defense against temporary title holder Parker, only for a back injury sustained by Usyk to cause the delay of the bout

British Fighter's Journey

But the 30-year-old British fighter, won the provisional belt from Parker with a major surprise in the later stages at London's O2 Arena in the previous month and was ordered to fight the champion before the month's conclusion

The boxing organization hasn't formally announced Wardley's promotion but his representative believes it is a formality

"Britain has a fresh boxing champion and a new star of the sport"

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

"Some huge fights ahead for 2026 as he defends his WBO belt and establishes his place in the boxing world"

Wardley entered the sport relatively late, coming through the unlicensed white-collar scene and has had just 21 professional fights

What's Next

• The anticipated title change represents an important development in heavyweight boxing
• The champion's choice to vacate the belt opens new opportunities for other contenders
• The boxing world now awaits official confirmation from the boxing organization
• The British fighter's journey from unconventional beginning to world champion continues to inspire many