Fabio Wardley elevation to full time WBO heavyweight champion definitely makes things complicated with his own stablemate. The move raises immediate questions about the WBO’s mandatory landscape. Just two weeks ago, WBO president Gustavo Olivieri told The Ring that if an Usyk–Wardley fight couldn’t be made, Wardley then the interim champion would be required to face Moses Itauma, the teenage prodigy ranked as the mandatory challenger.
“The committee reserves the right to enforce a mandatory on the interim champion,” Olivieri said. “If Usyk is not available for any justified reason, we would enforce a mandatory.”
Now that Fabio Wardley has been elevated to full champion, the mandatory order becomes cloudier.