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England's Fabio Wardley will be upgraded to world boxing champion after Usyk chose to vacate his championship belt

This follows after the champion notified the WBO he would not proceed with a obligatory title fight against the British challenger

WBO Statement

The championship body announced that the champion decided to give up his belt after deep reflection"

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

He originally secured the four-belt undisputed champion in spring 2024 by defeating the British champion, before giving up the IBF title a month afterwards and deciding not to fight the obligatory contender

"WBO president Gustavo Olivieri called Usyk "a champion of champions" in a announcement"

"The organization offers its sincere admiration and thanks to Usyk, an perfect record holder across weight classes"

"His achievements mark one of the most extraordinary and historic of the contemporary boxing period"

The boxing body stated that its institution will continue to support the champion and his camp"

Belt Timeline

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

In mid-year, the championship body required discussions for a mandatory defence against temporary title holder Parker, only for a back injury sustained by Usyk to cause the delay of the bout

New Champion's Path

But the 30-year-old British fighter, took the interim title from the New Zealander with a huge upset in the later stages at the famous London arena recently and was required to challenge Usyk before the month's conclusion

The championship body still needs to verify Wardley's promotion but his representative believes it is a certainty

"The UK has a new heavyweight world champion and a new star of the sport"

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

"Some huge fights ahead for the coming period as he protects his championship and establishes his place in the fighting community"

Wardley entered the sport at twenty years old, coming through the unlicensed white-collar scene and has had a limited professional record

Future Prospects

• Wardley's expected promotion represents an important development in heavyweight boxing
• The Ukrainian's move to vacate the belt creates fresh possibilities for additional challengers
• The boxing world now expects formal announcement from the WBO
• Wardley's story from late starter to world champion continues to capture attention