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The UK's Fabio Wardley will be upgraded to heavyweight title holder after the Ukrainian champion chose to vacate his championship belt

This follows after the champion informed the World Boxing Organisation he would avoid a mandatory title defence against his mandatory opponent

Official Announcement

The championship body announced that Usyk had "elected to relinquish his belt after deep reflection"

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 originally secured the complete unified champion in last year by defeating the British champion, before relinquishing one championship shortly after and deciding not to fight the obligatory contender

"Organization head Gustavo Olivieri described Usyk as exceptional in a official release"

"The WBO extends 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 recent fighting history"

The boxing body stated that its doors "will always remain open the fighter and his management"

Belt Timeline

Usyk secured the WBO belt in 2021 by overcoming Joshua and went on to protect his title repeatedly

In mid-year, the championship body required discussions for a required title defense against New Zealand's Parker, only for a Usyk's physical issue to cause the delay of the bout

Wardley's Rise

But Wardley, 30, won the provisional belt from Parker with a significant shock 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 championship body still needs to verify the British fighter's elevation but his promoter Frank Warren believes it is a certainty

"The UK has a fresh boxing 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 more pleased for Wardley"

"Significant bouts in the future for next year as he protects his championship and creates a true legacy in the boxing world"

Wardley only began boxing at twenty years old, emerging from the amateur circuit and has had only 21 pro bouts

Future Prospects

• The anticipated title change represents an important development in the division
• The Ukrainian's move to vacate the belt creates fresh possibilities for other contenders
• The fighting community now anticipates verification from the WBO
• Wardley's story from unconventional beginning to title holder continues to capture attention