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Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk announced on Friday that he is vacating his heavyweight world title belts, though he emphasised that he is not retiring from boxing.
The unbeaten 39-year-old Ukrainian explained in a social media post that he wants to free up the championships so that other top contenders in the heavyweight division can fight for them.
Attention‼️Important update
⁰I am vacating my unified WBA, IBF and WBC heavyweight world titles ahead of stepping into the ring for my final fight.— Oleksandr Usyk (@usykaa) June 26, 2026
Despite relinquishing his crowns, Usyk assured his fans that he will return to the ring for one final bout, teasing that he still has “my last dance.”
The unexpected move follows a close call just last month, when kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven nearly pulled off a massive upset against the champion.
Verhoeven led on the judges’ scorecards until the 11th round, despite competing in only his second professional boxing match.
Usyk ultimately rescued his undefeated record by securing a highly controversial 11th-round stoppage to defeat the Dutchman.
Usyk leaves behind a historic legacy as an undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions.
Throughout his unblemished professional career, he secured 25 victories in 25 fights, including 16 knockouts, following an amateur career where he won Olympic, World, and European gold.
His most famous victories include defeating British heavyweights Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Daniel Dubois twice each.
Usyk originally captured the WBA, WBO, and IBF crowns from Joshua in 2021, took the WBC belt from Fury in 2024, and recently reclaimed the IBF title from Dubois in July 2025.
