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Britain's heavyweight contender will be upgraded to heavyweight title holder after the Ukrainian champion decided to relinquish his championship belt

This situation arises after the champion informed the World Boxing Organisation he would not proceed with a mandatory title defence against Wardley

Official Announcement

The boxing organization confirmed that the champion decided to give up his belt after deep reflection"

The Ukrainian maintains the WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles, having defeated Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in mid-year to become a repeat unified title holder

He first became the all-belt title holder in last year by defeating the British champion, before vacating another belt five weeks later and opting out of facing the obligatory contender

"Boxing official Olivieri praised the Ukrainian fighter in a official release"

"The WBO extends its sincere admiration and thanks to Usyk, an perfect record holder across weight classes"

"His achievements mark one of the most remarkable and significant of the modern boxing era"

The WBO added that its institution will continue to support the fighter and his management"

Belt Timeline

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

In summer, the boxing organization mandated talks for a obligatory championship fight against New Zealand's Parker, only for a back injury sustained by Usyk to force the postponement of the bout

British Fighter's Journey

But the 30-year-old British fighter, won the provisional belt from his opponent with a huge upset in the later stages at London's O2 Arena last month and was mandated to face Usyk before the end of September

The WBO is yet to officially confirm the British fighter's elevation but his promoter Frank Warren believes it is a done deal

"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"

"Significant bouts in the future for 2026 as he protects his championship and establishes his place in the boxing world"

The champion started fighting aged 20, developing through alternative boxing and has had only 21 pro bouts

Coming Challenges

• The likely championship upgrade signals a major shift in heavyweight boxing
• Usyk's decision to relinquish the title paves the way for more fighters
• The boxing world now anticipates verification from the boxing organization
• The champion's path from alternative background to world champion continues to motivate others