🔗 Share this article Britain's Fabio Wardley Poised to Become WBO World Champion as Ukrainian Champion Usyk Relinquishes Title Ipswich fighter Fabio Wardley only began boxing at the relatively late age Britain's Fabio Wardley will be upgraded to heavyweight title holder after the Ukrainian champion decided to relinquish his title This situation arises after Ukrainian fighter notified the WBO he would avoid a mandatory title defence against his mandatory opponent Official Announcement The WBO stated that Usyk had "elected to relinquish his title after thoughtful consideration" The Ukrainian maintains the WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles, having beaten his British opponent at the national stadium in mid-year to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion He initially achieved the four-belt undisputed champion in spring 2024 by overcoming Tyson Fury, before relinquishing one championship shortly after and opting out of facing the obligatory contender "Boxing official Gustavo Olivieri called Usyk "a champion of champions" in a statement" "The organization offers its deep appreciation and respect to Oleksandr Usyk, an perfect record holder across weight classes" "His achievements mark one of the most extraordinary and historic of the modern boxing era" The boxing body stated that its doors "will always remain open the champion and his camp" The Ukrainian boxer is an Olympic champion and perfect in his pro career Belt Timeline Usyk won the championship in recently by overcoming Joshua and went on to successfully defend multiple times In mid-year, the boxing organization mandated talks for a required title defense against temporary title holder Parker, only for a Usyk's physical issue to force the postponement of the bout New Champion's Path But Wardley, 30, won the provisional belt from the New Zealander with a major surprise in the 11th round at the famous London arena recently and was mandated to face Usyk before the September deadline The WBO is yet to officially confirm the British fighter's elevation but his representative believes it is a formality "England has a new heavyweight world champion and a new star of the sport" "Among the most remarkable journeys throughout my decades as a sports manager and I could not be prouder of Fabio Wardley" "Some huge fights ahead for next year as he maintains his title and establishes his place in the fighting community" Wardley entered the sport at twenty years old, emerging from the amateur circuit and has had a limited professional record What's Next The likely championship upgrade marks a significant moment in heavyweight boxing The Ukrainian's move to vacate the belt paves the way for other contenders The fighting community now awaits official confirmation from the WBO The British fighter's journey from alternative background to world champion continues to capture attention