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England's Fabio Wardley is set to be promoted to heavyweight title holder after Oleksandr Usyk decided to relinquish his world title

This situation arises after Ukrainian fighter informed the World Boxing Organisation he would not proceed with a mandatory title defence against his mandatory opponent

Official Announcement

The WBO stated that the champion decided to give up his championship following careful thought"

Usyk still holds the multiple world titles, having overcome Daniel Dubois at the national stadium in July to become a repeat unified title holder

He first became the four-belt undisputed champion in last year by beating Tyson Fury, before vacating another belt five weeks later and opting out of facing the obligatory contender

"WBO president Olivieri described Usyk as exceptional in a statement"

"The organization offers its sincere admiration and thanks to the Ukrainian champion, an unbeaten multi-division champion"

"His career stands as one of the most remarkable and significant of the modern boxing era"

The boxing body stated that its doors "will always remain open the champion and his camp"

Championship History

Usyk won the world title in recently by beating the British star and went on to protect his title repeatedly

In summer, the championship body required discussions for a required title defense against interim champion Joseph Parker, only for a champion's back problem to require rescheduling of the fight

Wardley's Rise

But Wardley, won the provisional belt from the New Zealander with a huge upset in the championship rounds at London's O2 Arena in the previous month and was mandated to face Usyk before the month's conclusion

The championship body still needs to verify the British fighter's elevation but his manager 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 more pleased for Wardley"

"Major contests coming up for the coming period as he defends his WBO belt and creates a true legacy in the boxing world"

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

Coming Challenges

• The anticipated title change signals a major shift in the division
• The champion's choice to give up the championship creates fresh possibilities for more fighters
• The sport now expects formal announcement from the WBO
• The champion's path from late starter to championship status continues to inspire many