Oleksandr Usyk vacates titles before final fight

Oleksandr Usyk on Friday said that he had vacated his WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight belts to pursue a final fight of his career.

The 39-year-old Ukrainian is unbeaten in his professional career with a record of 25-0 and became an undisputed heavyweight champion in 2024 when he handed Briton Tyson Fury his first loss.

"Today is a good day to announce that I want to give up all the titles that I now hold. To leave them free so that all the guys that are standing in line behind me can box for them," Usyk said in an Instagram video.

"My friends, I am giving up my titles but I am not leaving sport because I have a last dance... there is more to come. Glory to God, Glory to Ukraine."

The 2012 Olympic champion relinquished his WBO title last year to avoid a fight against the mandatory challenger Fabio Wardley, and got a TKO win over Rico Verhoeven last month.

Kickboxer Verhoeven dominated Usyk before the Ukrainian scored two knockdowns in the 11th round and scored a technical knockout, and the competitive nature of the bout gave rise to calls for a rematch.

With Oleksandr Usyk vacating his belts, he is free to fight anyone, including a possible second bout with Verhoeven.

German boxer Agit Kabayel, who is the current WBC interim champion, may now be promoted to full championship status.

Usyk's sporting director, Sergey Lapin, told ESPN that Oleksandr 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 ruled the cruiserweight division and became an undisputed champion in 2018, before his long-awaited move up to the heavyweight division.

He took the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight belts in 2021 with a unanimous decision over Briton Joshua in London.

Usyk has the honour of beating the British big three, Joshua, Daniel Dubois and Fury twice.

Winning the WBC belt from Fury made Usyk the first male undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era.