November 17, (THEWILL) — Oleksandr Usyk has given up his WBO heavyweight title after telling the organisation he will not defend the belt against mandatory challenger Fabio Wardley.
The World Boxing Organisation confirmed on Monday that it had received official notification from the Ukrainian boxer’s team.
The 38-year-old retains the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles. Usyk regained the IBF belt in December when he defeated Daniel Dubois, restoring his undisputed status after having vacated that title in June due to rematch obligations following his victory over Tyson Fury in May 2024.
WBO president Gustavo Olivieri paid tribute to the undefeated fighter in a statement.
Olivieri stated, “The WBO extends its profound respect, admiration, and gratitude to Oleksandr Usyk, an undefeated, two-division WBO undisputed world champion.
“His career stands among the most extraordinary and historic of the modern boxing era.”
Britain’s Wardley, who is 30 years old, is expected to be named WBO heavyweight champion following the Ukrainian’s decision.
The organisation said its doors “will always remain open” to Usyk and his team, describing the move not as a farewell but a respectful pause.
Usyk captured the WBO belt in 2021 by defeating Anthony Joshua and successfully defended it four times during his reign.
The WBO had ordered negotiations in July for a mandatory defence against interim champion Joseph Parker, who won that interim title against Zhilei Zhang and retained it in February with a stoppage of Martin Bakole.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
