Anthony Joshua has been given 48 hours by the WBO to prove his fight with Tyson Fury can go ahead before he is ordered to face Oleksandr Usyk.
The governing body’s stance on Wednesday evening is a further blow to the planned undisputed heavyweight championship fight between Joshua and Fury for August 14 in Saudi Arabia.
A court ruled on Monday that WBC champion Fury must take on Deontay Wilder again by September 15, meaning IBF, WBA and WBO titleholder Joshua may instead fight Usyk next.
Usyk was called Joshua’s “Plan B” by promoter Eddie Hearn because he is the WBO mandatory challenger.
The WBO had originally agreed to forego Usyk’s right to a shot at the belt because of the magnitude of the planned undisputed title fight but Joshua now has two days before he will be ordered to face the undefeated Ukrainian.
“The WBO is extremely happy as their mandatory challenger will be facing their heavyweight champion,” Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk told Sky Sports.
“What else can they desire? We are waiting for their approval letter!”
WBO president Paco Valcarcel said on Tuesday night: “I hope boxing fans will enjoy Joshua vs Usyk in the near future.”
The targeted date for Joshua vs Usyk is in August at “most likely a big open-air venue in the UK”, says Krassyuk.
Usyk had previously been in negotiations to fight Joe Joyce for the WBO interim title while he awaited the winner of Joshua vs Fury. – Agency report.
