As fight fans have possibly heard, Oleksandr Usyk has opted to vacate his WBO heavyweight title, this leaving the unbeaten 38 year old with the WBA/WBC/IBF titles. It’s not clear why Usyk – who recently said he plans on boxing until he hits the age of 41 – chose to ditch the WBO strap, but his move means that Fabio Wardley, who won the WBO interim belt with his late stoppage win over Joseph Parker (who has a whole other fight to contend with right now, this to clear his good name after having tested positive for cocaine), is now the full WBO champion.
And already, WBO president Gustavo Olivieri is talking about Wardley’s first mandatory defence. Speaking with The Ring, the WBO president said Wardley could be ordered to defend the belt against red-hot heavyweight star Moses Itauma, this if Itauma beats Jermain Franklin in their upcoming January 24 fight.
Could Wardley Be Forced Into A Fight He Never Wanted?
But Wardley and Itauma are friends, they share the same trainer in Ben Davison. They are stable-mates. Would Wardley take the fight if it was ordered, or might Wardley wind up doing what Usyk did, and vacate the WBO title?
“Itauma would become the mandatory contender for Wardley by beating Jermain Franklin,” Olivieri said. “Beating Franklin, who’s a top contender, would put him in a strong position.”
Things really could get confusing here, let’s put it that way. Also, it’s a shame fans will miss out on seeing a Usyk Vs. Wardley fight. It’s totally unfair of course to even suggest that Usyk is afraid of Wardley, or of any fighter, come to that, but his decision to drop the WBO belt is a somewhat odd one. If Usyk wants to fight for around two more years, why wouldn’t the proud champion aim to give the fans the fight or fights they want to see during this time? And right now, plenty of fans are/were very interested to see what would happen if Usyk fought Wardley.
Now, we might be getting Wardley-Itauma instead. How the boxing world turns.