Overview

• Joseph Parker will defend his WBO interim heavyweight title against Fabio Wardley, the WBA interim titlist, on October 25 at London’s O2 Arena.
• In a letter from its Championship Committee, the WBO granted Oleksandr Usyk a 90-day medical extension retroactive to August 9 and authorized Parker to defend his interim belt during that period.
• Usyk is mandated to face the interim champion next with no intervening bouts allowed, and noncompliance would prompt committee intervention.
• The October 25 bout is not for a full world title, but the winner remains first in line for Usyk under the WBO order.
• Parker’s team has questioned whether Usyk will accept the matchup, as Parker enters on a six-fight winning run and Wardley stays unbeaten after a late knockout of Justis Huni.