Fabio Wardley will become a world heavyweight champion. The British boxer has been elevated to WBO titleholder after Oleksandr Usyk chose to give it up rather than defend against him.

It was not the fight Wardley imagined, but the belt is real. The 30-year-old Ipswich fighter earned his shot by knocking out Joseph Parker in the eleventh round last October. That stunning victory gave him the interim WBO title and also placed him first in line to face Usyk. Instead, the Ukrainian star stepped away from the crown entirely.

The WBO had given Usyk a clear choice back in September: fight the winner of Parker versus Wardley or vacate the belt. Usyk, now 38, opted to relinquish it while keeping his other three major titles, the WBA, WBC, and IBF. This decision likely paves the way for bigger money showdowns with fighters like Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua.

For Wardley, it is a dream realized, albeit in an unexpected way. His record now stands at 20 wins, 19 by knockout, and one draw against Frazer Clarke. That kind of raw power commands attention across the boxing world. He joins an elite group of current British world heavyweight champions, including Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury, and Anthony Joshua.

Wardley had called out Usyk after his Parker win, hoping to prove himself against one of the sport’s all-time greats. That fight will not happen. However, boxing rewards those who seize their moment. The belt does not ask how you earned it. What matters is what you do with it next!

Wardley is a world champion, and the heavyweight division just became a lot more exciting.