Wardley Manager: “I hope Usyk finds some confidence”

Mike Ofo, manager of WBO Heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley, spoke about why he believes Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt instead of fighting his client.

“Usyk’s comments surprised me, because I thought he was a decent champion. After moving up to Heavyweight, he became the mandatory challenger for Anthony Joshua’s title, and it was Usyk who pushed for that fight. AJ, as champion, accepted the challenge.

Yes, he lost, but he didn’t duck it — and that’s how it should be in our sport, where you have a mandatory challenger and you respect him. Imagine what it would be like in the Champions League if ‘Real’ didn’t want to play ‘Barcelona’ and said, ‘Let another team play them and we’ll meet later.’ That’s not sport. You can’t pick convenient opponents.

Why didn’t he vacate the belt earlier? He was supposed to fight the winner, but he didn’t do it. If he had vacated the title in advance, Parker and Wardley would have fought for the world championship. He wasn’t interested in fighting Fabio.

Before the fight, we basically agreed to all their conditions so Fabio could face Usyk if he won. We didn’t need to fight Parker, but we did it because we were going straight into a fight with Usyk. Oleksandr is doing the opposite — he’s running from difficulty, and we’re coming toward Usyk.

Britain is one of the biggest markets. You want to fight Wilder, who not only lost to a man you beat, but also lost to your mandatory challenger.

We fill arenas, bring crowds to football stadiums, and build a huge fanbase around Fabio. Oleksandr Usyk and Joseph Parker make money because of British fans — our audience. Usyk became a star here.

Parker doesn’t have more commercial value than Fabio. Can he even sell out an arena at home? It’s complete nonsense. Usyk would be better off coming out and saying he’s scared and doesn’t want to fight.

Wilder is a no-risk fight with guaranteed reward. Fabio isn’t just the most exciting Heavyweight — he’s the most exciting fighter in boxing right now. Every time he fights, you get knockouts, knockdowns, cut incidents, controversy — everything that makes boxing a spectacle.

Fabio’s career won’t stop, but this is a disgrace for boxing. Fabio is here for the long haul — he wants to fight the so-called best. He wants Usyk and every contender.

Fabio has never run from challenges — his legacy will show he fought everyone who dared to step in with him. Unfortunately, Usyk doesn’t have the courage to face him, but I hope he finds some confidence in the coming months,” said Ofo.

Fabio Wardley became WBO interim champion after scoring a knockout win over Joseph Parker. He received full champion status after Usyk vacated the title. Oleksandr has previously said he wants to fight Deontay Wilder.