Parker and Joyce to fight for WBO interim belt

Interim WBO heavyweight title to be at stake in fight Joseph Parker (30-2, 21 KOs) vs. Joe Joyce (14-0, 13 KOs). The bout will be the main event of the evening organized on September 24 in Manchester.

The promoters of both boxers applied for the World Boxing Organization to sanction this fight as a fight for a temporary belt. The WBO took this request positively, despite the fact that the reigning world champion Oleksandr Usyk fought his last fight a few days earlier.

The WBO explains its decision with plans for a unification fight between Usyk and Tyson Fury and a potentially long wait for a chance at the championship for the top-rated contenders. Joyce and Parker occupy the top two lines in the WBO rankings, and the Briton already owns the status of an official contender for the championship belt.

Joyce in his last appearance in the ring stopped Christian Hammer. The last time Parker appeared in the ring was in December, winning for the second time on points over Dereck Chisora.