Kiwi Joseph Parker moves closer to world title fight against Oleksandr Usyk

Kiwi boxer Joseph Parker is line to fight Oleksandr Usyk for the World Boxing Organisation heavyweight title.

The organisation has ordered Usyk to defend his belt against the current interim champion.

"WBO is officially ordering the enforcement of the WBO Mandatory between Usyk & Parker to expeditiously terminate the Interim Champion status," WBO president Gustavo Olivieri said on social media.

"This action aligns with our firm policy of maintaining only one champion per weight class."

This means Parker and Usyk now have 30 days to reach an agreement, or the organisation will order purse bid proceedings.

The call comes just hours after British boxer Daniel Dubois decided against rescheduling his fight with Parker, hoping to book a bout with Usyk instead.

The IBF champion withdrew from his title defence against Parker on 22 February, after falling ill.

Parker fought late replacement Martin Bakole in Riyadh last month, scoring a knockout win inside two rounds.

The former champion lost the WBO crown to Anthony Joshua in 2018 and lost to Joe Joyce for the vacant WBO interim championship four years later, but regained the mandatory challenge with victory over Chinese Zhilei Zhang in March 2024.

The Parker-Dubois fight was seen as a means to springboard the winner into a decided against Usyk.

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