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England's boxing star is expected to be elevated to WBO heavyweight champion after Usyk opted to give up his title

This follows after Ukrainian fighter notified the WBO he would not proceed with a required championship defense against Wardley

Official Announcement

The boxing organization confirmed that Usyk chose to vacate his belt after deep reflection"

The Ukrainian maintains the three major championship belts, having defeated Daniel Dubois at the national stadium in July to become a double undisputed champion

He first became the complete unified champion in last year by defeating the British champion, before vacating another belt five weeks later and deciding not to fight the mandatory challenger

"WBO president the WBO leader called Usyk "a champion of champions" in a announcement"

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

"His career stands as one of the most impressive and memorable of the modern boxing era"

The WBO added that its organization will always welcome the fighter and his management"

Belt Timeline

Usyk won the WBO belt in recently by defeating Anthony Joshua and went on to successfully defend multiple times

In summer, the boxing organization mandated talks for a required title defense against temporary title holder Parker, only for a champion's back problem to force the postponement of the bout

New Champion's Path

But Wardley, captured the temporary championship from his opponent with a significant shock in the later stages at London's O2 Arena recently and was mandated to face 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 recent title holder and a new star of the sport"

"One of the most incredible stories throughout my decades as a promoter and I could not be more pleased for Wardley"

"Some huge fights ahead for 2026 as he protects his championship and establishes his place in the boxing world"

Wardley only began boxing relatively late, coming through the unlicensed white-collar scene and has had just 21 professional fights

Future Prospects

• The likely championship upgrade marks a significant moment in the weight class
• The Ukrainian's move to relinquish the title creates fresh possibilities for additional challengers
• The fighting community now expects formal announcement from the championship body
• The British fighter's journey from late starter to title holder continues to inspire many