There seems to be no time of rest for Anthony Joshua after recapturing the world heavyweight titles from Andy Ruiz as the World Boxing Organization (WBO) has ordered a mandatory fight with Oleksandr Usyk within 180 days.
This is coming after the mercurial Ukrainian successfully stepped up at the cruiserweight, beating Chazz Witherspoon in October.
WBO rules state that champions are automatically elevated to mandatory challengers once they move up in weight, meaning Joshua must now defend his titles against Usyk before next summer.
According to WBO President, Paco Valcarcel,“Clash of the Dunes is over… Now clash of mandatories will be next. WBO mandatory challenger Usyk within 180 days.”
Consequently, Joshua vs Usyk must take place before June 4 next year, a new challenge Joshua would have to deal with immediately after becoming a two-time champion.
