Unified Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk to Face Interim Champion Joseph Parker
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) has announced that Oleksandr Usyk, the unified heavyweight champion, is scheduled to battle Joseph Parker, the current interim heavyweight champion. This matchup comes as part of the WBO’s directive for negotiations, which grants both fighters a 30-day window to finalize terms for Usyk’s mandatory title defense.
Should they fail to reach an agreement within this timeframe, the WBO will initiate a purse bid, with a starting minimum bid set at one million dollars. The organization emphasized that either party can request a purse bid at any point during negotiations.
Usyk has held the WBO title since 2021, when he claimed it from Anthony Joshua, also securing the WBA and IBF belts in the process. He has successfully defended his title four times and recently added the WBC belt to his collection after defeating Tyson Fury, establishing himself as the undisputed heavyweight champion.
In his latest fight, Usyk knocked out Daniel Dubois, reclaiming the IBF title and his status as an undefeated champion. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Joseph Parker earned the interim WBO championship in 2022 with a majority decision win over Zhilei Zhang and has since defended his title successfully by defeating Martin Bakole in February.
As the boxing world anticipates this exciting clash in 2025, both fighters are poised to make their marks on the heavyweight division.