BREAKING: Oleksandr Usyk has announced his intentions to vacate his unified WBA, IBF, and WBC heavyweight titles before stepping into the ring for his final fight.
Oleksandr Usyk’s run as unified heavyweight champion has come to an end.
The
former two-division and three-time undisputed champion announced Friday
on social media that he is vacating his IBF, WBA and WBC titles. Usyk is not vacating the Ring heavyweight title.
Usyk said that he wanted to leave the belts for the upcoming contenders and that he isn’t retiring.
“This
is a well-considered decision that I am confident will open new
opportunities for me,“ Usyk wrote. “This is not the end of the story.
The continuation lies ahead.”
Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs) last fought on May 23, beating Rico Verhoeven by contentious 11th-round stoppage
in Egypt. Two of the three judges had the bout even at 95-95 before the
39-year-old Ukrainian southpaw secured the dramatic stoppage win over
the former Glory Kickboxing heavyweight champion.
Usyk,
The Ring’s No. 2-ranked fighter pound-for-pound, first became an
undisputed champion at cruiserweight in 2018 before moving up to
heavyweight in 2019. After notching victories over Chazz Witherspoon and
Derek Chisora, he went into hostile territory to challenge then-unified
heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua at Tottenham Stadium in London and
upset him by unanimous decision in September 2021.
Usyk won the rematch nearly 11 months later by split decision in Saudi Arabia.
After
defeating Daniel Dubois by ninth-round knockout in their first fight in
August 2023 in Poland, Usyk faced Tyson Fury for the undisputed
heavyweight crown in May 2024. He staged a rally in the second half and
dropped the 6-foot-9 Fury in the ninth round en route to winning by
split decision to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Usyk
was stripped of the IBF title ahead of his rematch with Fury in
December 2024, which he went on to win by a decisive unanimous decision.
Dubois
was elevated to full champion by the IBF, and he beat Joshua (29-4, 26
KOs) by fifth-round knockout in his first title defense in September
2024. Usyk and Dubois rematched for the undisputed heavyweight title in
July 2025, and the former won even more decisively, beating the Londoner
by fifth-round knockout at Wembley Stadium.
A
bout with Agit Kabayel (27-0, 19 KOs), The Ring’s No. 2-ranked
heavyweight, appeared to be next, as the German was Usyk’s mandatory
challenger for his WBC title. Rematching Verhoeven (1-1, 1 KO) could
also be on the table, given the controversial nature of how referee Mark
Lyson stopped their fight after the bell rang to end the 11th round.
Regardless of who he fights next, the end appears to be near for Usyk, who is one of the greats of his era.
Oleksandr Usyk confirms he will be vacating his heavyweight world titles.
"Today is Friday, the weather is beautiful and it’s good day to say I want to vacate all the belts I currently hold," Usyk said on social media.
"I want to make them available so the guys who are next in line can fight for them. I’m leaving the belts, but I’m not leaving the sport, because I still have my last dance.
"I want to thank everyone. I have great respect for all the organisations. There’s more to come!”
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I'm not surprised.
He said "a last dance" and not "two"... So no more Dubois, and no more Fury ?
Last dance against ... Verhoeven ? In Amsterdam ?
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