By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Ukranian Oleksandr Usyk has been officially ordered by the WBO to face Joseph Parker, his mandatory challenger, for the heavyweight title.
Both parties have 30 days to agree terms or the WBO will proceed to a purse bid.
“The minimum bid in the Heavyweight division is one million dollars… any of the parties herein may request purse bid proceedings at any time during negotiation stages,” the WBO said in a statement.
Parker, the former world champion, is on a five-fight winning streak, including impressive wins over the former WBC world champion Deontay Wilder, Martin Bakole and Zhilei Zhang.
Parker’s impressive performances had earned him his first chance to win a world title in seven years against Daniel Dubois in February. However, Dubois withdrew because of an infection two days before the bout. Instead, Parker fought Bakole, winning with a second-round KO.
The fight against Dubois was not rescheduled and the British fighter then signed to fight Usyk, leaving Parker waiting even longer for his world title opportunity.
Usyk, the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO champion, mentioned the possibility of defending his titles against Parker on Saturday after defeating Dubois, with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua being other possibilities.
He is yet to lose in 24 contests as a professional, with 15 victories by knockout.
Usyk has held the WBO belt since 2021 when he won it from Joshua along with the WBA and IBF titles, and has defended it four times, also taking the WBC belt from Fury to become the unified champion.