WBO will grant the victor an interim title, obliging the Ukrainian to defend the belt
World Boxing Organization (WBO) has officially confirmed that at stake is the battle between the New Zealander Joseph Parker (30-2, 21 KOs) and British Joe Joyce (13-0, 12 KOs) will be the interim heavyweight title. Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, who owns the WBO belt, will be required to defend his title with the winner of this fight.
Earlier it was reported that Parker and Joyce are considered as the main contenders for the fight with the Ukrainian. However, the parties expressed concern that the WBO had not given their fight proper status for a long time.
In his last fight, Joyce scored his 13th stoppage victory in the professional ring, stopping the German Christian Hammer in the fourth round. In a duel with Hammer, Joyce defended the WBO International and WBC Silver heavyweight belts.
Parker previously held the WBO belt, losing it to Joshua. Now the New Zealander is number two in the rankings. Joyce is number one according to the WBO.
Usyk has held the WBO belt since September 2021. The Ukrainian defeated the previous owner Anthony Joshua, and then defeated the Briton for the second time.
Immediately after defeating Anthony in a rematch, Usyk challenged WBC champion Tyson Fury to a fight. In turn, the Gypsy King demands 500 million dollars for a unification fight with the Ukrainian.
The head of Top Rank, Bob Arum, said that Fury’s fight with Usyk could take place on February 11 or 18 in the Middle East. According to him, the fight in 2022 is unlikely.
Source: Sportarena
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