🔗 Share this article Britain's Fabio Wardley Poised to Become World Boxing Champion as Usyk Vacates Belt British boxer Fabio Wardley only began boxing at the age of twenty The UK's boxing star is set to be promoted to heavyweight title holder after Oleksandr Usyk decided to relinquish his title This follows after Usyk notified the WBO he would avoid a mandatory title defence against the British challenger Official Announcement The championship body announced that Usyk chose to vacate his title after thoughtful consideration" Usyk still holds 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 four-belt undisputed champion in spring 2024 by defeating the British champion, before relinquishing one championship a month afterwards and choosing to avoid the obligatory contender "Boxing official Olivieri praised the Ukrainian fighter in a announcement" "The WBO extends its sincere admiration and thanks to Usyk, an undefeated, two-division WBO undisputed world champion" "His achievements mark one of the most extraordinary and historic of the contemporary boxing period" The boxing body stated that its organization will always welcome the fighter and his management" Usyk is an gold medal winner and undefeated through 24 bouts Belt Timeline The champion captured the world title in recently by defeating Anthony Joshua and went on to defend it four times In mid-year, the boxing organization mandated talks for a mandatory defence against temporary title holder Parker, only for a champion's back problem to force the postponement of the bout Wardley's Rise But Wardley, 30, won the provisional belt from Parker with a major surprise in the later stages at the capital's venue in the previous month and was required to challenge Usyk before the end of September The boxing organization hasn't formally announced the title change but his manager Warren believes it is a certainty "England has a fresh boxing champion and a new star of the sport" "Among the most remarkable journeys during my long career as a boxing representative and I could not be happier for the British fighter" "Significant bouts in the future for 2026 as he defends his WBO belt and builds his reputation in the boxing world" Wardley only began boxing relatively late, developing through alternative boxing and has had a limited professional record What's Next The likely championship upgrade marks a significant moment in heavyweight boxing Usyk's decision to relinquish the title creates fresh possibilities for additional challengers The sport now expects formal announcement from the WBO The British fighter's journey from unconventional beginning to championship status continues to capture attention