Oleksandr Usyk has announced he will relinquish his heavyweight title belts, vacating the WBC, WBA and IBF versions. The unbeaten 39-year-old Ukrainian insists he is not retiring, describing the decision as “well-considered” and saying it will “open new opportunities”.
In a video posted on X, Usyk said: “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.” He added in a caption: “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.”
Usyk last fought in May, stopping Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in the 11th round, although not all of his heavyweight titles were on the line. His sporting director, Sergey Lapin, told ESPN that Usyk had 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 said.
Usyk became WBO cruiserweight champion in 2016, beating Poland’s Krzysztof Glowacki. He added the WBC title in 2018 against Latvia’s Mairis Briedis, and months later claimed the WBA and IBF belts from Murat Gassiev. The Russian, who has since moved up to heavyweight, was Usyk’s WBA mandatory challenger and has now been upgraded to champion.
