Oleksandr Usyk has announced he is vacating his IBF, WBA and WBC heavyweight world titles, opening the door for new championship matchups at the top of the division.
Usyk made the decision public on Friday, stating he is leaving the belts but not retiring from the sport. He remains undefeated at 25-0 with 16 knockouts and is coming off an 11th-round TKO win over Rico Verhoeven. The move came before a June 30 WBC deadline to book a title-unification bout against interim champion Agit Kabayel.
"Today is Friday, the weather is beautiful, and it’s a good day to say that I want to vacate all the belts I currently hold," Usyk said. "I want to make them available so the guys who are next in line can fight for them. Friends, 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 organizations. I want to thank everyone and say there’s more to come."
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman reacted to the announcement after seeing it online. "What a disappointment is for me to learn from a social media video that our heavyweight champion is vacating his WBC title," he said, later adding, "This is the current life we live in, I would even think it is AI. I personally wish Usyk great success in his life inside and outside the ring."
According to Sergey Lapin, Usyk will retain the Ring Magazine belt while vacating the sanctioned titles, which were relinquished "to give Anthony Joshua the opportunity to compete for and reunify them." Usyk has referred to his next bout as his "last dance" and a retirement fight, with potential future opponents mentioned including Rico Verhoeven, Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder.
