Less than a week after reclaiming the undisputed heavyweight championship, Oleksandr Usyk has been told by the WBO to next defend their title against Joseph Parker.
The 38-year-old Usyk entered Saturday’s rematch with Dubois as the WBA, WBO and WBC champion. Dubois held the IBF title of which Usyk, for prioritising a rematch with Tyson Fury, had been stripped.
Usyk, of Ukraine, proceeded to stop Dubois in five rounds, leaving Parker – the WBO interim titlist – as his likeliest next opponent. The 33-year-old Parker had, incidentally, been on course to challenge Dubois for the IBF title in February, before at late notice illness ruled Dubois out.
“The championship committee has ruled that Usyk must fulfil his mandatory against interim champion Joseph Parker,” Gustavo Olivieri, the sanctioning body’s president, posted on social media. “Therefore, a formal negotiation order is forthcoming. The interim status will be terminated upon the completion of the mandatory bout.
“By virtue of his ruling, the WBO enforces expeditiously the one world champion per weight class policy.”
Parker, of New Zealand, previously held the WBO title from 2016 to 2018.
