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England's heavyweight contender will be upgraded to heavyweight title holder after Oleksandr Usyk opted to give up his championship belt

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

Boxing Organization's Position

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

Usyk still holds the three major championship belts, having beaten his British opponent at the famous London venue in the summer month to become a repeat unified title holder

He originally secured the complete unified champion in spring 2024 by overcoming Tyson Fury, before vacating another belt five weeks later and choosing to avoid the required opponent

"WBO president Gustavo Olivieri described Usyk as exceptional in a official release"

"The WBO extends its sincere admiration and thanks to the Ukrainian champion, an unbeaten multi-division champion"

"His career stands as one of the most remarkable and significant of the modern boxing era"

The organization continued that its institution will continue to support the fighter and his management"

Championship History

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

In July, the boxing organization mandated talks for a required title defense against New Zealand's Parker, only for a back injury sustained by Usyk to force the postponement of the contest

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 11th round at London's O2 Arena in the previous month and was ordered to fight the champion before the September deadline

The boxing organization hasn't formally announced the British fighter's elevation but his promoter Frank Warren believes it is a formality

"England has a new heavyweight world champion and a emerging fighting personality"

"A truly extraordinary path throughout my decades as a promoter and I could not be prouder of Fabio Wardley"

"Some huge fights ahead for the coming period as he protects his championship and builds his reputation in the sport"

The champion started fighting at twenty years old, emerging from the amateur circuit and has had a limited professional record

Future Prospects

• The likely championship upgrade signals a major shift in the weight class
• The Ukrainian's move to vacate the belt paves the way for other contenders
• The sport now expects formal announcement from the WBO
• The British fighter's journey from alternative background to championship status continues to motivate others