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Britain's Fabio Wardley will be upgraded to heavyweight title holder after Oleksandr Usyk chose to vacate his title

This follows after Ukrainian fighter informed the World Boxing Organisation he would not proceed with a required championship defense against his mandatory opponent

Official Announcement

The WBO stated that Usyk had "elected to relinquish his championship following careful thought"

Usyk continues to possess the multiple world titles, having defeated Daniel Dubois at the famous London venue in July to become a repeat unified title holder

He originally secured the complete unified champion in last year by overcoming Tyson Fury, before relinquishing one championship five weeks later and opting out of facing the obligatory contender

"Boxing official the WBO leader described Usyk as exceptional in a announcement"

"The WBO extends its deep appreciation and respect to Usyk, an unbeaten multi-division champion"

"His record represents one of the most impressive and memorable of the modern boxing era"

The WBO added that its institution will continue to support the champion and his camp"

Title Reign

Usyk secured the WBO belt in recently by defeating Anthony Joshua and went on to defend it four times

In mid-year, the championship body required discussions for a required title defense against temporary title holder Parker, only for a Usyk's physical issue to force the postponement of the contest

Wardley's Rise

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

The championship body still needs to verify the title change but his promoter Frank Warren believes it is a done deal

"Britain has a fresh boxing champion and a emerging fighting personality"

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

"Some huge fights ahead for the coming period as he protects his championship and establishes his place in the fighting community"

Wardley entered the sport at twenty years old, coming through the unlicensed white-collar scene and has had just 21 professional fights

Future Prospects

• The anticipated title change marks a significant moment in heavyweight boxing
• Usyk's decision to vacate the belt creates fresh possibilities for other contenders
• The boxing world now anticipates verification from the WBO
• Wardley's story from late starter to title holder continues to motivate others