Earlier today, at the Joshua Buatsi-Zach Parker press conference, promoter Frank Warren gave an update on a fight between heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk and WBO interim champ and mandatory challenger Fabio Wardley.
Fight Hinges on Usyk’s Signature
Warren said that the fight is “in negotiations” and that if Usyk agrees to the fight and puts pen to paper, the fight will happen. If not, and if Usyk doesn’t agree to terms, the fight will go out to purse bids.
Usyk, as we know, recently said he now plans to box on until the age of 41, and with fan demand pretty high for the unified, four-belt heavyweight champ to grant the always-exciting Wardley a shot, maybe Usyk will indeed agree to the fight. But who knows for sure?
Usyk may choose to vacate his WBO belt and go another route; we must wait and see.
“At the moment, the deal is that Usyk has to defend his WBO title against Fabio,” Warren said today. “We are in negotiations, and if we can’t agree on terms, it will go to purse bids. Whoever wins that purse bid can determine where the fight will take place and the date. Contracts will have to be signed, and then Mr. Usyk will either sign it or he won’t. If he signs it, we’ve got a fight. If he doesn’t, Fabio will be declared [WBO] champion, and he will fight someone else.”
Vacate or Fight: Usyk’s Big Decision
So, who might Usyk choose to fight next if it isn’t Wardley? It would be a shame if Usyk were stripped of one of his belts, and it would also be a shame if we didn’t see Usyk face Wardley, who, with his never-say-die approach, along with his savage punching power, is arguably the most formidable threat to Usyk right now.
There are some other good, quality heavyweight contenders Usyk could fight instead of Wardley, such as Agit Kabayel and, maybe, Moses Itauma. But there really is something about the idea of seeing Usyk match his skills with the power, sheer determination, and the X-factor that Wardley has.
If Usyk-Wardley did go out to purse bids, who would win it, Warren and his team or Egis Klimas and his team?