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Britain's Fabio Wardley is expected to be elevated to world boxing champion after Usyk opted to give up his title

This situation arises after Ukrainian fighter notified the WBO he would avoid a required championship defense against Wardley

WBO Statement

The WBO stated that the champion decided to give up his title after thoughtful consideration"

The Ukrainian maintains the multiple world titles, having overcome Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in mid-year to become a repeat unified title holder

He first became the complete unified champion in last year by defeating the British champion, before relinquishing one championship five weeks later and deciding not to fight the obligatory contender

"Organization head Gustavo Olivieri praised the Ukrainian fighter in a statement"

"The organization offers its profound respect, admiration and gratitude to Oleksandr Usyk, an perfect record holder across weight classes"

"His achievements mark one of the most impressive and memorable of the recent fighting history"

The boxing body stated that its organization will always welcome the fighter and his management"

Title Reign

The champion captured the world title in two years ago by overcoming Joshua and went on to defend it four times

In July, the championship body required discussions for a obligatory championship fight against New Zealand's Parker, only for a Usyk's physical issue to force the postponement of the bout

British Fighter's Journey

But Wardley, captured the temporary championship from Parker with a major surprise in the championship rounds at London's O2 Arena last month and was ordered to fight the champion before the month's conclusion

The championship body still needs to verify Wardley's promotion but his representative believes it is a formality

"Britain has a recent title holder and a rising boxing talent"

"A truly extraordinary path I've seen in my 45 years as a promoter and I could not be happier for the British fighter"

"Some huge fights ahead for the coming period as he protects his championship and establishes his place in the boxing world"

The champion started fighting relatively late, emerging from the amateur circuit and has had a limited professional record

Coming Challenges

• The anticipated title change signals a major shift in the weight class
• The champion's choice to relinquish the title opens new opportunities for other contenders
• The fighting community now expects formal announcement from the championship body
• Wardley's story from alternative background to title holder continues to capture attention