At long last, Joseph Parker has a fight date set again.

Eight months after dismantling short-notice opponent Martin Bakole in Saudi Arabia to retain his interim WBO crown, the former champion will make another defence on October 25 against in-form WBA interim beltholder Fabio Wardley.

Wardley (19-0-1, 18 KOs) produced a thrilling come-from-behind knockout win over then-unbeaten contender Justis Huni in his native Ipswich on June 7 before openly observing the muddled landscape atop the sanctioning body's rankings.

Kubrat Pulev-Michael Hunter was initially set for August 23, then moved to October 4 in Miami, all while Hunter had agreed terms to box Jarrell Miller as part of the Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford festivities later this week.

That has since fallen through and there's no clarity over whether the previous WBA 'regular' title bout will continue as planned, with Wardley's unbeaten stablemate Moses Itauma rising above Hunter to No. 1 in last month's rankings update.

New father Wardley has kept his promise to stay busy in the meantime and faces another career-best challenge knowing that, if successful, a meeting with undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk isn't so fanciful after all.

Usyk was ordered to begin talks before a matchup with mandatory challenger Parker, five days after producing a fifth-round stoppage win over Daniel Dubois in their July 19 rematch at Wembley.

His team requested an extension, with team director Serhii Lapin explaining the champion had earned the right to decide his own future and take time recovering from a 'punishing' training regime where he sustained injuries.

Although questions were asked about said ailments after footage emerged of Usyk dancing and playing football last month, they were countered by insisting those actions were not 'indicative of ring readiness' nor inconsistent with medical advice.

The WBO have since granted Usyk a 90-day medical extension, retroactive to August 9, meaning the revised 30-day negotiation period will now begin on Friday, November 7.

The timeline aligns almost perfectly for the Parker-Wardley winner and while Team Parker would've preferred Usyk sooner, the Kiwi is grateful to stay active in the meantime.

His promoter, David Higgins, told Sky Sports that it's a welcome step in the right direction - even if Usyk's team have given him the impression they're not interested.

"It's pleasing that they've said Usyk must fight the winner. It's gratifying because a lot of hard work has gone into getting this position.

"I don't know [if Usyk will want to fight the winner]. There's been so little communication from the [Usyk] camp or engagement, it's hard to say. If I had to bet my house on it, I would say he probably won't want to [fight Parker]."

Regardless, he's got a determined knockout artist to prepare for now.

"Fabio has got a cult following and he's built an unbeaten record over eight years, never been beaten. He's a fighter that can knock anyone out, got a big punch, so Joseph has got to be on form and fight at his best.

"He should come through but Fabio could knock anyone out. It's an interesting, exciting fight, great way to keep in form while we wait for the title."