Oleksander Usyk has vacated his WBO heavyweight title, resulting in interim champion Fabio Wardley being elevated to the new champion today. That must be disappointing for Wardley, as he reportedly would have earned tens of millions if Usyk had fought him.

Why Usyk Stepped Aside

It would have been a tough fight for Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) if he had chosen to keep his WBO title to defend against the then mandatory Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs). So, it’s not surprising that he decided to vacate. He would have had to defend against Wardley next.

Wardley won the WBO interim title on October 25, 2025, scoring an 11th-round knockout of then-interim champion Joseph Parker (36-4, 24 KOs) at the O2 Arena in London, England. That was one of the most exciting heavyweight fights of the year.

Ultimately, Parker wore down and was getting pelted by Wardley in the 11th when referee Howard Foster stepped in and stopped the fight at 1:54 of the round. Parker complained afterward about the stoppage, and some fans agreed with him that it was a bit premature.

The 38-year-old Usyk didn’t explain his rationale for vacating his WBO title, but it’s believed that he didn’t want to take chances of potentially losing to Wardley in what would have likely been a grueling contest. At Oleksandr’s age, the last thing he needs is to go up against a young, hungry steel-chinned fighter with a high work rate and power in both hands.

Oleksandr’s Fury/Joshua Focus

Usyk will now wait for Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua for a well-paying trilogy bout against one of them. What would be a dream is for Usyk to fight both of them in 2026, as the money would be enormous, and his chances of winning would be high. He already beat both twice.

As the new WBO heavyweight champion, Wardley will have a lot of options available to him. Unfortunately for him, none of them would pay the kind of money he would have gotten if he’d fought Usyk.

WBO announced Usyk has relinquished the WBO Heavyweight Championship.

Therefore, Fabio Wardley is THE NEW WBO WORLD CHAMPION! 👑 pic.twitter.com/OKzByXCjig

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) November 17, 2025