Thu Jul 24 16:04:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the provided text:
**Headline: WBO Orders Usyk-Parker Heavyweight Title Fight, Setting Stage for Mandatory Defense**
**[City, State] –** Oleksandr Usyk, the unified heavyweight champion, is now officially mandated to defend his WBO title against interim champion Joseph Parker. The World Boxing Organization (WBO) has ordered negotiations between the two camps, giving them 30 days to reach an agreement or face a purse bid.
Usyk, who has reigned as WBO champion since defeating Anthony Joshua in 2021 and recently captured the WBC belt from Tyson Fury to become the unified heavyweight champion, must now fulfil his mandatory defense obligation. The Ukrainian fighter, now 38, recently defeated and knocked out Daniel Dubois on Saturday to regain his IBF belt and undisputed status after vacating the IBF title in 2023.
Joseph Parker, of New Zealand, claimed the interim WBO title with a victory over Zhilei Zhang and subsequently defended it by knocking out Martin Bakole in February.
The WBO has stipulated that the minimum bid for the purse bid will be $1 million. Should negotiations fail, the purse bid process will determine who promotes the highly anticipated clash. This fight will decide whether Usyk will retain his titles and Undisputed status, or Parker will upset the reigning champion.
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