WBO Mandates Usyk Vs. Parker: Why This Fight Could Cost The Undisputed Champion Millions

The World Boxing Organization has ordered undisputed four-belt heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk to defend his WBO title against their mandatory, Joseph Parker, next. They have 30 days to agree to a deal.

Usyk’s Costly Parker Bout

Usyk would be doing Parker and his promoter a massive favor by agreeing to this fight, because it won’t pay anywhere near the kind of money he could get fighting more popular heavyweights. Usyk might as well be throwing away $30-40 million if he chooses to fight Parker.

There’s zero gain for Oleksandr in taking this fight with Parker. He’ll miss out on tens of millions of dollars by fighting Parker rather than Tyson Fury, and even if he wins, he won’t come out ahead. Fans don’t rate Parker.

Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) hasn’t said whether he’ll agree to take this fight, as it will not bring him the kind of purse that rematches with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua would bring in. While Parker is popular with ultra hardcore boxing fans, he’s an unknown with casuals, who don’t know who he is.

Parker’s Rise to Mandatory

Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) has hampered his career by fighting a mix of old guys, morbidly obese fighters, and complete unknowns in his last six fights since being knocked out by Joe Joyce in 2022.

Parker’s Six-Fight Winning Streak

Martin Bakole: 310 lbs
Zhilei Zhang: 42-year-old
Deontay Wilder: 39
Simon Kean
Faiga Opelu
Jack Massey

The guys that Parker should have fought to increase his popularity are fighters like Moses Itauma, Agit Kabayel, Anthony Joshua, Filip Hrgovic, and Richard Torrez.

Usyk has run the table, beating Daniel Dubois, Joshua, and Fury twice. Fighting Parker would be a massive step down in terms of fan interest.

Assuming Usyk takes that fight, it won’t be long before another one of the sanctioning bodies orders him to defend against their designated mandatory challenger. It never stops, and the money that Usyk makes for each fight would be a trifle compared to what he can get fighting Fury or Joshua.

OFFICIAL NOTICE 📢
The WBO has officially ordered negotiations for the mandatory heavyweight title bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Joseph Parker.

Both parties have 30 days to reach an agreement, or the WBO will proceed to a purse bid.

Let the countdown begin. 🥊#WBO #Boxing pic.twitter.com/DStmBAMjxB

— WBO (@WorldBoxingOrg) July 24, 2025