Usyk Vacates WBA, IBF, WBC Belts for 'Last Dance'
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- Oleksandr Usyk announced Friday via Instagram that he is vacating his WBA, IBF, and WBC heavyweight titles, stating he wants to "make them available so the guys who want them and are next in line can fight for them," while making clear he is not retiring from boxing.
- Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs), 39, said he still has one "last dance" fight left, with his sporting director Sergey Lapin suggesting that bout is expected to take place in the United States, where Usyk wants to close out his legacy.
- Sergey Lapin said the decision was made so Anthony Joshua could get the opportunity to compete for and reunify the belts, while Usyk will retain the Ring Magazine title, often regarded in boxing as the lineal championship.
- Usyk is the first male boxer to become a three-time undisputed champion in the four-belt era, achieving the feat at cruiserweight in 2018 and twice as a heavyweight in 2024 and 2025.
- Usyk's last fight was a controversial 11th-round stoppage of kickboxer Rico Verhoeven last month, a fight ESPN's No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter struggled in, and a title defense against Agit Kabayel had been expected next before Friday's announcement.
Why it matters: Usyk's vacate opens the heavyweight division to a new title fight, with his own team explicitly pointing to Anthony Joshua as the beneficiary — while the 39-year-old three-time undisputed champion secures his preferred exit on American soil rather than as a belt-holder.
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