Oleksandr Usyk has announced he is vacating his WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles, insisting the decision is not a retirement. The unbeaten 39-year-old Ukrainian said in a video posted on X: 'It’s a good day to say that I want to vacate all the belts I currently hold. I want to make them available so the guys who are next in line can fight for them. Friends, I am leaving the belts but I’m not leaving the sport because I still have my last dance.'
Usyk captioned the video: 'This is a well-considered decision that I am confident will open new opportunities for me. This is not the end of the story. The continuation lies ahead.' He last fought in May, stopping Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in the 11th round, though not all his heavyweight titles were on the line.
Sergey Lapin, Usyk’s sporting director, told ESPN that the Ukrainian vacated the belts to give former champion Anthony Joshua, whom Usyk has beaten twice, a chance to reunify them. 'As for Oleksandr, his goal has always been to finish his legendary career with his final fights in the United States, where he wants to leave the last chapter of his boxing legacy,' Lapin added.
Usyk became WBO cruiserweight champion in 2016 by defeating Poland’s Krzysztof Glowacki. He added the WBC title by beating Latvia’s Mairis Briedis in 2018, and later that year claimed the WBA and IBF belts from Murat Gassiev. Gassiev, who has since moved up to heavyweight, was Usyk’s WBA mandatory challenger and has now been upgraded to champion.
