Fabio Wardley Becomes WBO Titleholder After Usyk Vacates Belt

London, England, UK - In a development already causing confusion across social media and mainstream outlets, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) confirmed today that Oleksandr Usyk has formally vacated its heavyweight title. As per WBO rules, interim champion Fabio Wardley has been automatically elevated to full WBO titleholder.

But despite scattered headlines shouting “New World Champion,” the reality is clear and unambiguous: Vacating a sanctioning body’s belt does not remove the world championship from a fighter. Only losing in the ring does that. And nobody has beaten Usyk.

Why Usyk Is Still the Champion

The World Heavyweight Championship has always followed a single rule:

You are the champion because you defeated the previous champion in the ring.

Usyk:

• defeated Anthony Joshua twice
• defeated Tyson Fury for the lineage and all sanctioning belts twice
• defeated Daniel Dubois twice
• defeated every man placed in front of him

When he beat Fury, he became the universally recognized, lineal champion — the man at the top of the sport.

Vacating one of the alphabet belts does nothing to change that status. The “World Champion” is not chosen by committees. It is earned.

Usyk still holds:

• Lineal Championship
• WBA World Title
• WBC World Title
• IBF World Title (until ruled otherwise)

And critically, he holds the Championship of the World, which no sanctioning body can award or remove.

Why Wardley Receives the WBO Belt

Fabio Wardley was elevated because:

• He held the WBO Interim title after stopping Joseph Parker in their dramatic encounter at the O2 Arena.
• The WBO could not secure Usyk vs. Wardley within their mandated window.
• Usyk elected to vacate the WBO belt rather than begin another mandatory cycle.

This is normal in boxing’s multi-belt era. Sanctioning bodies operate independently of the championship lineage. Wardley played by their rules and receives their title accordingly.

Wardley is now the WBO Titleholder

It is a significant accomplishment, a historic moment for his career, and a major step forward for British boxing. But it is not the passing of the heavyweight crown.

‍Wardley’s Position: A Huge Opportunity

Fabio Wardley is now:

• 20-0-1 (19 KOs)
• The WBO heavyweight titleholder
• A fighter with dramatic momentum
• A compelling offensive presence with real power
• A boxer who has risen through adversity and earned respect in the ring

This elevation positions him for enormous opportunities:

• A potential defence against top contenders
• A possible clash with rising star Moses Itauma
• A unification attempt down the road
• Increasing leverage in negotiations, especially within the UK and European markets

But nothing has changed the fact that the champion — the man at the top of the mountain — remains Oleksandr Usyk.

Where This Leaves the Division

Usyk remains the champion of the world.

Wardley becomes a newly minted WBO titleholder with major responsibility and visibility.

And now, the heavyweight landscape fractures once again:

• Multiple belt-holders
• A single world champion
• A field of rising contenders (Itauma, Jalolov, Hrgovic, Bakole, Dubois) all maneuvering for position
• And a sport still waiting to see Usyk’s next move — legacy fight, title defence, or another mega-event

This is boxing.
This is heavyweight lineage.
And this is why the correct language matters.