Town-supporting boxer Fabio Wardley has been crowned the WBO world heavyweight champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt.

Ukrainian Usyk, 38, who had been the undisputed heavyweight champion, had been told he had to face the winner of the Wardley-Joseph Parker contest the 30-year-old Chantry-born fighter won last month. But Usyk has instead opted to vacate the title.

“The World Boxing Organisation announced today that it has received formal communication from Team Oleksandr Usyk regarding the future of the WBO heavyweight championship. After thoughtful consideration, Usyk has elected to relinquish his title,” a WBO statement reads.

“The WBO extends its profound respect, admiration, and gratitude to Oleksandr Usyk, an undefeated, two-division WBO undisputed world champion and a fighter who has earned and exemplified every right, privilege and honour associated with the WBO super champion distinction.

“His career stands as one of the most extraordinary and historic of the modern boxing era.”

Having knocked out Daniel Dubois in June and becoming a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion, the WBO instructed Usyk to fight Parker, then the interim champion.

Usyk was granted additional time to recover from an injury but in the meantime Wardley stunned the highly experienced Parker, stopping him in the 11th round at the O2.

That extended one-time white collar fighter Wardley’s record to 20 wins, 19 knockouts of those knockouts, and one draw.

He had hoped to fight Usyk for the WBO world heavyweight belt, with whom he sparred early in his career over in Ukraine, but will now look for a challenger of his own.

Meanwhile, Parker has denied taking any banned substance after traces of cocaine were found in a routine test on the day of the Wardley fight.

“I did not take any prohibited substance, I do not use performance enhancing drugs and do not support their use,” the 33-year-old insisted.

“I am cooperating fully with the process now under way, and I am confident the investigation will clear my name.”

Photo: Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

NITFC added 22:42 - Nov 17 Amazing. Ipswich Town now has A World heavyweight boxing champion and arguably the biggest pop star in the World. Meanwhile Norwich once beat Bayern Munich
11

Saxonblue74 added 22:57 - Nov 17 Not sure how he's going to feel about this, guessing he would have liked a proper crack at it?
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grow_our_own added 23:10 - Nov 17 Congrats Fabio! Shame Usyk ducked this. Running scared. Deserves to lose the belt. "Meanwhile Norwich once beat Bayern Munich" - second round of the Uefa Cup is still the proudest moment in their sorry history.
2

armchaircritic59 added 23:41 - Nov 17 NITC, indeed, and you missed out the best Speedway team in the country, Elite League Champions. Only need promotion for ITFC at the end of this season, and those who continue to think we're " sleepy Suffolk ", will need to take a very serious look at their own counties!
8

Wickets added 02:31 - Nov 18 Just leave the Norwich crap out of it !!
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trncbluearmy added 06:35 - Nov 18 Suppose this means he will get even more tickets for his enterouge at the scum game
-8

Dissboyitfc added 06:53 - Nov 18 Congratulations to Fabio, wont be how he would have wanted to win it! And Wickets trust me, living amongst them ,they would i know love to have something more to be proud of than the poor history they have in comparison! They hate us because they are jealous , i am loving their demise!
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PortmanSi added 07:53 - Nov 18 Default! Woohoo!! The two sweetest words in the English language.
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Broadbent23 added 07:58 - Nov 18 Cream always rises to the top. Congratulations Fabio.
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Bazza8564 added 08:07 - Nov 18 I love Fabio to bits but this is a bittersweet title win. Usyk still holds the other belts so we are now left with a fractured heavyweight division once again. A title is a title I guess but Fabio ill have. mixed feelings about the manner of it
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oldbri added 08:18 - Nov 18 Congratulations Fabio, top man.
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ArnieM added 08:59 - Nov 18 So, I know absolutely zilch about boxing. So have to ask,why would a World Champion title holder " give up" thst title, and how must Wardley feel being crowned the Champion by default and when hes not had to throw a punch? Thanks.
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superblues9 added 09:12 - Nov 18 Arniem comes down to money I imagine prob will get paid more To fight someone else why slot of big fights never happened in past or took so long to happen like Hatton fights sadly when he took on mayweather and paquio should of happened years earlier
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trncbluearmy added 09:19 - Nov 18 This money argument don't wash, there is no bigger payday then a world title fight in Dubai or Vegas Really pleased for Fab, has worked hard and deserves all he gets which invludes a place in the directors box for the scum game and any other game he wants to attend. His entourage/hangers on can join the queue like the rest of us
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Paddy39 added 09:22 - Nov 18 Don’t forget Bayern never had Harry Kane when the scum won. Hope you enjoy Div l next season. I hear Nunez may partner Josh Sargeant when you sell him to us in the January transfer window lol. FABIO FABIO FABIO.
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poet added 10:29 - Nov 18 Fabio is crowned WBO World Heavyweight Champion, he deserves it, but no doubt the competitor that he is, he would have liked to have won it in the ring. Usyk has been a great champion, there has to be underlying reasons why he came to what must have been a very difficult decision. Perhaps his age, or perhaps he wasn’t feeling fit enough, going into a boxing ring with doubts, can’t be a healthy thing to do. Either way, congratulations to Fabio, now he has to defend it, and I’m certain he can.

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fifeblue added 10:38 - Nov 18 Amazing. And not a mark on him!
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Benji1611 added 12:13 - Nov 18 This is actually bullshit. He earned the fight against Usyk for the unified title and Usyk has been allowed to cop out. No doubt because Wardley isn't a big enough name for him. Rubbish.
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