The WBO has issued a mandate for unified heavyweight (200+ lbs) champion Oleksandr Usyk (23-0, 14 KO’s) and WBO interim champion Joseph Parker (36-3, 24 KO’s) to face each other. The mandate was officially launched on March 13th and will first commence with negotiations between both fighters’ teams that will last for a total of 30 days until April 12th, after which purse bids will be initiated.

Notably, the sanctioning body’s order follows this week’s reports of a rematch between Usyk and Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KO’s) being in the works, with Usyk’s manager Alex Krassyk having already pinpointed Wembley Stadium as a potential location for their second bout. The first fight, held in 2023, saw Usyk win the match by technical knockout (TKO) after surviving a controversial low blow from Dubois.

The WBO’s mandate further confirms Joseph Parker as Usyk’s next mandatory challenger ―though Parker also holds the WBO interim title which he won last year after an upset victory over Chinese contender Zhilei Zhang (27-3-1, 22 KO’s). The interim belt itself was first made available as a vacant title in 2022 and was subsequently won by Joe Joyce (16-3, 15 KO’s) after he defeated Parker to become the WBO interim champion.

Following a defeat by Joyce to Zhang in 2023, the interim title switched hands to Zhang who would ultimately lose it to its current holder, Joseph Parker, during their 2024 bout.

Despite the belt’s status as a secondary WBO title meant to give the holder a direct opportunity to face the WBO world champion in the near future, a mandate from the sanctioning body for the current title holder, Usyk, to defend it had been absent since he gained the title in 2021. A rematch with Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KO’s), an order from the WBA for Usyk to face Dubois, and a unification bout and follow-up rematch with Tyson Fury (34-2-1, 24 KO’s) prevented the WBO from issuing a mandate.

With neither the WBA or WBC having relayed their own mandates following Usyk’s second win over Fury, the WBO was in the prime position to order a long-overdue consolidation between the WBO title and its interim belt. If the Usyk-Parker would be arranged, Parker would also be liable to fight for Usyk’s WBA and WBO titles.