Fabio Wardley TKOs Joseph Parker. Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Under a different set of circumstances, New Zealand heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker would now be a world champion.
Instead Joseph is fighting to clear his name after recording a positive doping test, while rising Briton Fabio Wardley is set to be upgraded to WBO champion after Oleksandr Usyk announced he was relinquishing the belt.
Wardley upset Parker when the pair fought in Manchester last month - a fight the Kiwi didn't have to take as he was next in line to challenge Ukrainian Usyk for his multiple belts.
The result plunged Parker down the pecking order, but worse was to come last week when it was announced the 33-year-old tested positive to a prohibited substance - which media reports in the UK say was traces of cocaine - on the day of the Wardley fight.
Joseph Parker after his loss to Briton Fabio Wardley. Photo: photosport
Faced with the possibility of a boxing ban, Parker has hit back, refuting that he did anything wrong.
He said he will work with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association and British authorities to clear his name.
WBO announcement
Reuters reported Usyk announced on Tuesday he would not proceed with a mandatory defence against Wardley, according to the WBO.
The WBO said it received "formal communication" from the Ukrainian's team and confirmed the 38-year-old had "elected to relinquish the title after thoughtful consideration."
Wardley, 30, is expected to be elevated to WBO heavyweight champion following Usyk's decision, according to Sky Sports.
Usyk holds the WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles, having regained the latter belt in December when he stopped Britain's Daniel Dubois to restore his undisputed status.
Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk celebrates his victory over Britain's Tyson Fury during a heavyweight boxing world championship fight at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP
He first became four-belt undisputed champion in May 2024 by beating Tyson Fury, before vacating the IBF crown the following month due to mandatory obligations linked to a rematch.
Usyk tributes
WBO president Gustavo Olivieri paid tribute to Usyk in an emotional statement, calling him "a champion of champions".
"The WBO extends its profound respect, admiration, and gratitude to Oleksandr Usyk, an undefeated, two-division WBO undisputed world champion," Olivieri said.
"His career stands as one of the most extraordinary and historic of the modern boxing era."
The WBO added that Usyk had exemplified "every right, privilege and honour associated with the WBO Super Champion distinction".
"We accept and respect his decision to relinquish the WBO heavyweight super championship," it said.
"This is not a farewell but - as expressed by his team - a respectful pause. The doors of the WBO will always remain open to Oleksandr Usyk and his team."
Usyk won the WBO belt in 2021 when he defeated Anthony Joshua, later adding the WBC title by beating Fury. He defended the WBO crown four times during his reign.
Both have been respectful when talking about the fight, but both men said it will be a different story when the bell rings on Sunday morning Photo: Photosport
In July, the WBO ordered negotiations for a mandatory defence against its interim champion Parker, giving both camps 30 days to reach a deal before a purse bid.
Parker, who won the interim title last year against Zhilei Zhang and retained it in February by stopping Martin Bakole, remained the organisation's official challenger at the time.
- Reuters, with additional reporting by RNZ
