Oleksandr Usyk vs. Joseph Parker: WBO orders undisputed champion to defend title against interim titleist
The WBO, on Thursday morning, officially ordered the undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk to defend his title against the interim champion Joseph Parker next.
The respective parties have 30 days to reach an agreement, or the WBO will proceed to an open purse bid.
Usyk is not aligned with a major promoter at this time, while Parker is represented by Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions.
Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) is just five days removed from his sensational KO victory over Daniel Dubois to unify the four titles. The Ukrainian, who also previously held the undisputed cruiserweight championship, owns a pair of wins over Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. The first Joshua victory saw Usyk capture three heavyweight belts in 2021, while the initial Fury triumph in 2024 made him the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years, since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) previously held the WBO heavyweight strap from 2016-18. The New Zealander, who is widely considered the best available challenger for Usyk, is on a six-fight unbeaten run that includes upsets over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang. Most recently, Parker stopped late-replacement Martin Bakole in just two rounds in February in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Crocker vs. Donovan 2 for IBF welterweight title
Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing formally announced the anticipated all-Irish rematch between Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan for the vacant IBF welterweight title on Sept. 13 at the Windsor Park stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The pair were ordered to rematch by the IBF after the contentious ending to their first bout in March, which was an IBF final eliminator.
Donovan was controversially disqualified for flooring Crocker with a right hook after the bell sounded to signal the end of Round 8. The Limerick man, who was well on his way to victory when he was disqualified by referee Marcus McDonnell, blamed the raucous atmosphere from the sold-out SSE Arena for his failure to hear the bell. Donovan had, however, been deducted two points earlier in the bout for use of the head — the second of which was just 45 seconds before the punch after the bell.
When Jaron "Boots" Ennis announced his move to super welterweight, it opened the door for Belfast's Crocker and Donovan to square off for the vacant IBF championship. And when they do so, it will be the first time in history that two Irish boxers have contested a world title fight.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
a few seconds ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
The Kansas City Royals and pitcher Seth Lugo agree to 2-year extension, AP source says
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals and right-hander Seth Lugo have agreed to a two-year extension that includes a vesting option for the 2028 season, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Sunday night. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal, which presumably takes one of the most talked-about names on the trade market off the table ahead of this week's deadline, had not been officially announced. The 35-year-old Lugo made his first All-Star Game and won his first Gold Glove last season, when he went 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA in the first year of a two-year, $30 million deal that included a player option for next season. Lugo has followed that up with an even better start to this season, going 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA through 19 outings for Kansas City. Rumors surfaced of several contenders interested in trading for Lugo ahead of Thursday's deadline, and the fact that the Royals have been hanging on the fringe of contention themselves left many wondering whether they would be buyers or sellers. It appears that they are going to make a push for a second consecutive playoff appearance. The Royals acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Diamondbacks for reliever Andrew Hoffmann late Saturday, shoring up a weakness in the lineup by adding a right-handed bat. Now, they have indicated that Lugo remains big a part of their future with his extension — an especially timely one given it came the same day that All-Star pitcher Kris Bubic went on the injured list. Kansas City also is missing starters Cole Ragans and Michael Lorenzen due to injuries. Both are expected back at some point in August, and the Royals are hopeful that their return to the rotation will propel them down the stretch run. ___
Fox Sports
a few seconds ago
- Fox Sports
The Kansas City Royals and pitcher Seth Lugo agree to 2-year extension, AP source says
Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals and right-hander Seth Lugo have agreed to a two-year extension that includes a vesting option for the 2028 season, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Sunday night. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal, which presumably takes one of the most talked-about names on the trade market off the table ahead of this week's deadline, had not been officially announced. The 35-year-old Lugo made his first All-Star Game and won his first Gold Glove last season, when he went 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA in the first year of a two-year, $30 million deal that included a player option for next season. Lugo has followed that up with an even better start to this season, going 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA through 19 outings for Kansas City. Rumors surfaced of several contenders interested in trading for Lugo ahead of Thursday's deadline, and the fact that the Royals have been hanging on the fringe of contention themselves left many wondering whether they would be buyers or sellers. It appears that they are going to make a push for a second consecutive playoff appearance. The Royals acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Diamondbacks for reliever Andrew Hoffmann late Saturday, shoring up a weakness in the lineup by adding a right-handed bat. Now, they have indicated that Lugo remains big a part of their future with his extension — an especially timely one given it came the same day that All-Star pitcher Kris Bubic went on the injured list. Kansas City also is missing starters Cole Ragans and Michael Lorenzen due to injuries. Both are expected back at some point in August, and the Royals are hopeful that their return to the rotation will propel them down the stretch run. After beating the Guardians on Sunday, the Royals were four games back of the final American League wild-card spot. ___ AP MLB: recommended Item 1 of 3
San Francisco Chronicle
a few seconds ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Giants swept by Mets to fall 3 back in wild-card race and within 2 games of .500
The San Francisco Giants deployed a bullpen game to get through Sunday's series finale against the New York Mets, and it was their most reliable arm that relinquished a slim lead in a sweep-clinching 5-3 loss. Randy Rodriguez, one of baseball's stingiest relievers, had allowed one home run (All-Star Game excluded) all season heading into the series finale. Clutching a one-run lead, Rodriguez broke character at the worst time when Ronny Mauricio launched a Splash Hit to tie the game 3-3. Two outs later, Soto gave New York the lead with a home run to left. Not only was it the first time Rodriguez had allowed a home run since April 29 against the San Diego Padres, it was the first time he'd allowed multiple runs in an outing since that day at Petco Park. Plus, with the team needing a little extra from its entire pitching staff, it was the fifth time all season that Rodriguez pitched more than an inning. Until that point, the bullpen had mostly kept the Mets' best hitters at bay – Mauricio, the nine hitter, had a four-hit day. Matt Gage, a 2014 Giants draft pick, came full circle as the Giants' opener. He needed just 10 pitches to get through a clean first inning, giving way for a bullpen game that saw seven relievers cycle through. Spencer Bivens was the bulk reliever, allowing two runs over three innings on six hits with three strikeouts. Matt Chapman provided the Giants all their runs with a two-homer day. His solo home run in the fourth inning tied the game and his two-run homer, his 16th of the year, gave the Giants a short-lived 3-2 lead. With the loss, the Giants fell three games back of the third and final wild-card spot are are now just two games over .500 at 54-52. Overshadowing Chapman's home runs was another day of missed opportunities. The Giants were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position, finishing the weekend series 0-for-23. One miss came in the second inning, when Mike Yastrzemski walked and Dom Smith, playing against his former team, singled to put runners on the corners. But the bottom of the order couldn't execute with one out as both Patrick Bailey and Brett Wisely struck out to strand the runners. In the third inning, Heliot Ramos got caught in an indecision between second and third base when Willy Adames made contact on a check swing, resulting in something of a swinging bunt. Ramos made a hasty decision to try to sneak into third base, where third baseman Mauricio tagged him out easily to end the inning. They loaded the bases against Mets closer Edwin Diaz in the ninth inning, the tying run at second with one out. But Adames and Chapman struck out to end it and give the Mets their seventh straight win. Briefly: Carson Whisenhunt's debut could be on deck for Monday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Giants' top pitching prospect joined the team in San Francisco as a member of the taxi squad on Sunday, at the ready in case the organization needs to make a roster move. Whisenhunt isn't on the 40-man roster. The 24-year-old left-hander known for a nasty changeup has a 4.52 ERA, 86 strikeouts and 28 walks in 18 starts with Triple-A Sacramento this year.
