Oleksandr Usyk is not expected to fight again this year, says promoter Frank Warren.
Usyk, 38, regained his status as undisputed heavyweight champion in July when he knocked out Briton Daniel Dubois at Wembley.
Next in line is Joseph Parker, the mandatory challenger for the WBO title – one of four titles Usyk holds – while a trilogy bout with the now out-of-retirement Tyson Fury has also been touted.
However, Parker may have to wait for his date with destiny against the undefeated Ukrainian, with a bout with Fabio Wardley now likely to happen beforehand.
“(Usyk) asked for time out from the WBO because of an injury and he provided evidence and that’s the position at the moment,” Warren told Sky Sports.
“Will he fight before the end of the year? I very much doubt it.”
Both Wardley and Parker, the holders of the WBA and WBO interim title belts respectively, are in talks to clash at the O2 Arena in London on October 25.
Parker will come into the fight off the back of stopping Martin Bakole, which followed two decision wins over Zhilei Zhang and Deontay Wilder, while Wardley’s most recent outing saw a stunning 10th-round knockout victory over Justis Huni to claim WBA gold.
“We’re quite close to an announcement for a big fight, plus a couple of others,” Warren added.
“We’re talking about quite a few heavyweight shows which we’re working on right now, hopefully we’ll be in a position very soon, and it’ll have to be very soon because we’re looking for one of them to take place in October.”
It seems both heavyweights are willing to risk their lofty world rankings in a fight against each other rather than simply wait for Usyk.
“That says a lot about them but that happens in this heavyweight division,” Warren said. The fighters are fighting each other, no one’s ducking anybody. They’re happening and we’re making them happen and they’re making them happen.
“Everybody wants to see these fights and we’re working very hard to deliver.”