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England's Fabio Wardley is set to be promoted to heavyweight title holder after the Ukrainian champion opted to give up his title

This follows after Ukrainian fighter informed the World Boxing Organisation he would avoid a required championship defense against his mandatory opponent

WBO Statement

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

The Ukrainian maintains the three major championship belts, having overcome Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in the summer month to become a double undisputed champion

He first became the four-belt undisputed champion in May 2024 by defeating the British champion, before vacating another belt shortly after and opting out of facing the obligatory contender

"Organization head the WBO leader described Usyk as exceptional in a announcement"

"The WBO extends its deep appreciation and respect to Usyk, an undefeated, two-division WBO undisputed world champion"

"His record represents one of the most remarkable and significant of the contemporary boxing period"

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

Championship History

Usyk secured the world title in recently by defeating Anthony Joshua and went on to protect his title repeatedly

In July, the boxing organization mandated talks for a required title defense against temporary title holder Parker, only for a Usyk's physical issue to require rescheduling of the bout

New Champion's Path

But the 30-year-old British fighter, captured the temporary championship from the New Zealander with a huge upset in the later stages at the famous London arena in the previous month and was mandated to face Usyk before the September deadline

The championship body still needs to verify Wardley's promotion but his promoter Frank Warren believes it is a formality

"The UK has a recent title holder and a new star of the sport"

"Among the most remarkable journeys throughout my decades as a sports manager and I could not be more pleased for Wardley"

"Major contests coming up for the coming period as he defends his WBO belt and builds his reputation in the boxing world"

Wardley only began boxing at twenty years old, emerging from the amateur circuit and has had just 21 professional fights

Coming Challenges

• The anticipated title change represents an important development in the division
• Usyk's decision to give up the championship paves the way for other contenders
• The boxing world now anticipates verification from the championship body
• The champion's path from alternative background to title holder continues to inspire many