Oleksandr Usyk has been ordered by the World Boxing Organisation to begin discussions over a mandatory defence of his heavyweight title against

Oleksandr Usyk may not be expected to make a WBA mandatory title defense for two years, but the WBO has other ideas. The WBO has ordered Usyk to defend his WBO heavyweight title against interim champion Joseph Parker,

World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is ordered by the WBO to begin negotiations with Joseph Parker for a mandatory title defence.

Parker, who lost the WBO title to Anthony Joshua in 2018, has worked his way back into contention with six consecutive victories, including wins over Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang, and Martin Bakole. The 33-year-old New Zealander has revamped his style since his knockout loss to Joe Joyce in 2023 and now stands as Usyk’s mandatory challenger.