Overview

• The WBO has named Joseph Parker as the mandatory challenger to Oleksandr Usyk’s undisputed heavyweight title and ordered both sides to negotiate a championship bout.
• If negotiations collapse, the WBO will open a purse bid with a minimum opening bid of $1 million open to any licensed promoter.
• Parker secured the interim WBO heavyweight crown with a majority decision over Zhilei Zhang in March 2024 and defended it with a second-round TKO of Martin Bakole.
• Usyk regained undisputed status with a fifth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on July 19, adding the IBF belt to his WBA, WBC and WBO titles.
• The order underscores the WBO’s regulation that champions must face interim titleholders within prescribed windows to maintain a single recognized champion per division.