Oleksandr Usik (38), the absolute champion of the heavyweight division, has given up his WBO title. This decision followed after the organization ordered him to make a mandatory defense against Fabio Wardley, who was automatically promoted to the new world champion.
The undefeated Briton Fabio Wardley became Usik’s mandatory challenger after defeating him with an impressive 11th-round stoppage at London’s O2 Arena last month Joseph Parker and won the interim WBO belt. After the Ukrainian vacated the title, Wardley was promoted to full champion, ending Usyk’s second reign as the undisputed king of the heavyweight division.
Now it’s up to Wardley to defend the belt because nothing will come of the fight with Usik. He is the first in the ranking of WBO challengers Moses Itauma, who has an arranged match with Jermaine Franklin, so he could be skipped, and is the second one Filip Hrgovic, who has no scheduled match and is waiting for a new opponent, and now he could become a challenger for the world champion belt, writes Index.
Hrgović did the last fight August 16 when he mastered David Adeleyeand in the process he received a serious cut above his eye. The match was almost stopped, but he continued and won by unanimous decision
That triumph rested on a victory against Joe Joyce achieved on April 5 this year. Hrgović won by unanimous decision of the judges, it was his first fight after the first defeat in his career against Daniel Dubois in June last year.
(www.jabuka.tv | Photo: Nick Potts/PRESS ASSOCIATION)
