WBO obliges Usyk to hold title fight
13 March 12:58
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) has obliged WBC, WBA, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk to defend his title against interim WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker. This is stated on the organization’s website, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
“The WBO officially demands a mandatory fight between Usyk and Parker to end the interim champion’s status as soon as possible. This action is in line with our firm policy of supporting only one champion per weight class,” explained WBO President Gustavo Olivieri.
The WBO gave the boxers 30 days to reach an agreement.
If no agreement is reached, the WBO will put the fight up for auction. The winner of the auction will get the priority right to organize the event, and the highest bid will become the prize pool of the fight.
What is known about the fight for the title of absolute heavyweight champion
Usyk is the world champion according to the WBC, WBA (World Boxing Association) and WBO (World Boxing Organization). Dubois holds the IBF (International Boxing Federation) belt.
Oleksandr Usyk already fought Daniel Dubois in August 2023 and knocked out the Briton in the ninth round.
In May 2024, Usyk defeated British boxer Tyson Fury and became the absolute world heavyweight champion. Then, because of the rematch with the “Gypsy King,” the Ukrainian refused to hold a mandatory IBF title defense against Dubois and vacated the belt, thus losing the title of “absolute.”
The 38-year-old Usyk has 23 wins (14 by knockout) in 23 fights. In his last fight, the Ukrainian defeated the British Tyson Fury in a rematch in December 2024.
The 27-year-old Dubois has 22 wins (21 by knockout) in 24 fights. The Briton, nicknamed “Dynamite,” has two defeats on his record – from Joe Joyce in 2020 and from Usyk in 2023. In his last fight, he knocked out his compatriot Anthony Joshua in September 2024.
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