Oleksandr Usyk will have to face his WBO mandatory challenger Joseph Parker next or risk losing one of his world titles.
The Ukrainian great became undisputed heavyweight champion once again last weekend when he knocked out Daniel Dubois in the fifth round at Wembley Stadium to add the IBF title to his WBC, WBA and WBO collection.
It was the second time that Usyk has been undisputed, having first achieved it in May 2024 when he defeated Tyson Fury, before having to vacate the IBF belt in order to fulfil the rematch with Fury last December.
Now that all four world titles are back in the possession of the Ukrainian, attention has already turned to who he will have to take on next, with a number of heavyweights all vying for their opportunity to challenge the Ukrainian.
One of the governing bodies has been the first to act, after the WBO announced that Usyk must defend against Parker next in order to keep his belt.
“Please be advised that the WBO World Championship Committee is hereby ordering the commencement of negotiations between the subject matter fighters to discharge the mandatory title defense obligation.
“By virtue of this order, the parties have thirty (30) days upon issuance of this letter to reach terms. Failure to do so will result in this committee ordering purse bid proceedings in accordance with WBO regulations of World Championship Contests.
The minimum bid in the Heavyweight division is one-million dollars ($1,000,000.00). Any of the parties herein may request purse bid proceedings at any time during negotiation stages.
Parker became mandatory after impressive wins over Martin Bakole, Zhilei Zhang and Deontay Wilder in his last three fights, and most boxing fans would agree that he is most deserving of the next shot at Usyk.”
Usyk may opt to vacate or seek to strike a step-aside deal should the sanctioning body allow it, however Parker, his team and promoter Frank Warren have given no signs that they would entertain such talks.
In fact, shortly after the order was announced, the Ring Magazine revealed that Riyadh Season Sela have no interest in making the fight, meaning boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh – the man behind making the Fury fights happen and owner of the magazine – will not be backing it.
