Fabio Wardley is NEW WBO Heavyweight Champion!!

[Ruthless-RKO]

Usyk has vacated.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

Shame. Missed chance for Parker.

Could have been 2-time!

But then he’s taken Coke

[Ricky]

Boxing is in a shambolic state of affairs. I despair.

[Taansend]

Shame. Missed chance for Parker.

Could have been 2-time!

But then he’s taken Coke

2 Lines instead of 2 Times.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[gregregegg]

This clearly should have been on the line for Parker vs wardly.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Boxing is in a shambolic state of affairs. I despair.

We just need one champ per division.

Usyk is still number 1 at the moment.

It’s his division.

But what’s his next move

[handsofstone]

Whatever happened to top 2 fighting for the belt? Getting more and more common this, happy for Wardley though, don't hate the player, hate the game and all that, least it's went to an Englishman

[CaptainSpacerod]

Boxing is in a shambolic state of affairs. I despair.

[joshj909]

This clearly should have been on the line for Parker vs wardly.

It would've made it a bigger fight. I also assume this suggests that Usyk is not facing Wardley next and will look at Kabayel.

Will Usyk become a four time undisputed champ without losing a fight? It would Trump Holyfield's four time world champ record by some distance.

Wardley has some good options for his pockets but also for the fans for his first defence (Itauma - probably won't take it, Hrgovic, Zhang, Okolie, Dubois, Anderson, Jo$hua, Chi$ora, Hysa, Jalolov, Torrez, Riakporhe, Ajagba, Sirenko, Fisher). Absolutely no clue how Sirenko is still ranked after losing to Dacres, well I do know (Queensbury) but still.

[stujones]

Is Usyk not fit, that’s my thought. Wardley is quite a “big”
fight now and let’s be honest , Usyk should win easily….The WBO agreed for Usyk to wait till 2026. So my main concern is Usyks fitness. Why already state he will not defend in early 2026.

Odd from Usyk.

[stujones]

Wardley vs Chisora voluntary 1st defence, that’s my call.

[joshj909]

Quick analysis of his potential opponents:
- Itauma: Itauma could take it but it seems like Frank still wants him to go for the WBA Regular so this might not happen. Great fight of it does. Expect fireworks.
- Hrgovic: Challenging fight for Wardley but the KO is possible. It would be a good win on his record.
- Zhang: A shootout between two of the heaviest hitters around. Zhang's more vulnerable but the fans know who he is and it could sell well.
- Okolie: A domestic British scrap. If Okolie has anything to say about it, it wouldn't be an amazing fight but it would ask Wardley some questions.
- Dubois: Great domestic fight between two big English heavyweights. Dubois might need a win to get his third title shot on the back of it.
- Anderson: A slightly softer touch but a respectable opponent, especially if it wasn't for the belt. We've seen way worse voluntary defences though so if it's a quick turnaround then we wouldn't see many complaints.
- Jo$hua: Huge money for Wardley. If Joshua fancies himself then he can become a three time champion and have a bargaining chip when trying to tempt Fury into a fight.
- Chi$ora: Easy fight for Queensbury to make. Chisora wants a title shot and this fight would sell very well. It almost ticks off two birds with one stone for Frank.
- Hysa: Possibly the worst on the list. A knocover jobs for Wardley's highlight reel then move onto the next one. Wouldn't sell particularly well.
- Jalolov: High risk, low reward. I don't see Wardley choosing this. A fight with many unknowns if it does happen.
- Torrez: Possibly the same as above. Torrez looks promising but he's not well known. Good fight should it happen though.
- Riakporhe: Good domestic scrap. Wardley would be heavy favourite but it would be an easy sell for the level of fight that it is.
Ajagba: Respectable opponent and could be tricky for Wardley. He's not well known so won't bring in tonnes of money but the fight itself could be excellent.
- Sirenko: No idea how he's on the list after he lost to Dacres. Poor fight and a difficult sell. Quick knockover job.
- Fisher: Also surprised he's on the list still. Sells better than Sirenko but he's a very low level to Wardley in comparison and most fans know that.

Having written this, I've seen that the WBO rankings haven't been updated since September so it explains some of them. If anyone surprisingly arrives then they could be the next opponent.

[Coco]

Great news for Wardley, he is in the big money now.
FW will milk it a bit, try and have his guys as champions, and then have a unification series between his fighters.

[Coco]

Uysk will try and hang out for a Fury fight, and then retire.
Then there will be a round robin between Wardley, Moses, DDD, Zhang and Parker.
He will hope than Moses will come out on top, but he can't lose, and all of his fighters will be rich
Unless Fury wants Joshua as a retirement fight, AJ will be frozen out, but then the JP fight will probably surpass his career earnings.

[joshj909]

Uysk will try and hang out for a Fury fight, and then retire.
Then there will be a round robin between Wardley, Moses, DDD, Zhang and Parker.
He will hope than Moses will come out on top, but he can't lose, and all of his fighters will be rich
Unless Fury wants Joshua as a retirement fight, AJ will be frozen out, but then the JP fight will probably surpass his career earnings.

The Joshua-Paul fight absolutely will not surpass Joshua's career earnings. Not even close. Probably won't even be his highest earning fight.

[Taansend]

Wardley vs Chisora voluntary 1st defence, that’s my call.

I'd actually like that. Winner meets Moses*

* - the boxer not the biblical figure

[stujones]

Wardley vs Chisora voluntary 1st defence, that’s my call.

I'd actually like that. Winner meets Moses*

* - the boxer not the biblical figure

Whilst Chisora would be a bigish underdog - its actually potentially winnable. Chisora isn't going to have a problem finding him - which should be his problem at pushing 42.

[Ruthless-RKO]

WBO: OLEKSANDR USYK RELINQUISHES TITLE, FABIO WARDLEY NOW FULL WORLD CHAMPION

Just 23 days after his thrilling comeback stoppage win over Joseph Parker, Fabio Wardley is the new WBO world heavyweight champion, after it emerged today that the sanctioning body received a notification that undisputed beltholder Oleksandr Usyk was relinquishing his title.

A month shy of his 31st birthday and during the start of a fight week where two other Brits seek to claim world honours abroad on a stacked Ring IV show in Riyadh, Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) has been reposting messages since the WBO's social media post swiftly gained traction.

In said announcement, the WBO called this news a 'respectful pause - not a farewell', something expressed to them by the unbeaten Ukrainian's team themselves. They instead took the time to honour Usyk's achievements, with president Gustavo Olivieri praising his longevity at the top of a sport which waits for no-one.

Olympic 2012 champion Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) first challenged for a WBO regional title a year into his professional career, in his native Ukraine with a ninth-round stoppage win over 19-6 pro Danie Venter before making three defences - all knockouts - before a world title shot.

He outpointed then-unbeaten cruiserweight champion Krzystzof Glowacki with a 12-round points win in Poland, before a trio of defences stateside and in Germany against Thabiso Mchunu, Michael Hunter and Marco Huck preceded his unification attempt against WBC ruler Mairis Briedis, who to this day still remains arguably his career-toughest challenge.

"The WBO extends its profound respect, admiration, and gratitude to Oleksandr Usyk, an undefeated, two-division, WBO Undisputed world champion, and a fighter who has earned and exemplified every right, privilege, and honor associated with the WBO Super Champion distinction. His career stands as one of the most extraordinary and historic of the modern boxing era."

allegedly, Wardley's promoter and Queensberry chief, also acknowledged the news in a social media message. He said: "Britain has a new heavyweight world champion and a new star of the sport. One of my most incredible stories I've seen in my 45 years as a promoter and I could not be prouder of Fabio Wardley. Some huge fights ahead for 2026 as he defends his WBO belt and creates a true legacy in the sport."

Speculation surrounding Usyk's next move will continue to intensify as a result of this decision, having already been ordered to begin negotiations with the fan-friendly Ipswich puncher, who he first sparred as a four-bout novice - still then a recruitment consultant - back in 2018.

Two weeks ago, Olivieri told The Ring that Wardley would have to face mandatory challenger Moses Itauma if the Usyk fight wasn't made for any reason.

"The committee reserves the right to enforce a mandatory on the interim champion, if Usyk is not available for any justified reason, we would enforce a mandatory."

Now he'll be elevated rather than remain as interim champion, it's unclear what will happen next, given Wardley's gymmate Itauma is scheduled to box Jermaine Franklin in the headliner of Queensberry's Manchester show come January 24 and the promotion have been carefully matching them away from one another on separate paths.

[gregregegg]

Wardley vs Chisora voluntary 1st defence, that’s my call.

I'd actually like that. Winner meets Moses*

* - the boxer not the biblical figure

Yea that is kinda the perfect set up for this. (Although just cause Usyk vacated dosent mean he isn’t fighting wardly… exact thing that happened with the ibf last year).

[gregregegg]

Fvck this would have been a mess if Parker won.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Wardley vs Chisora voluntary 1st defence, that’s my call.

I'd actually like that. Winner meets Moses*

* - the boxer not the biblical figure

Yea that is kinda the perfect set up for this. (Although just cause Usyk vacated dosent mean he isn’t fighting wardly… exact thing that happened with the ibf last year).

Do Moses and Fabio have the same trainer?

[gilgamesh]

Wardley still the 2nd or 3rd rated contender. Usyk still Undisputed Champion.

I do sincerely hope Wardley gets his Crack at Usyk that he's earned though.

[KiwiRider]

Great news for Wardley, he is in the big money now.
FW will milk it a bit, try and have his guys as champions, and then have a unification series between his fighters.

Darn right
He needs to make a quick earn before Uysk is ready.