Usyk relinquishes all heavyweight belts, says he stays in sport

Reigning undisputed world boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk will vacate all heavyweight titles. He announced this on his Instagram page.

Usyk stated that he is giving up all championship belts – "vacating them for other boxers." The Ukrainian boxer stated that the decision to give up the titles is a conscious one and opens up new opportunities for him.

In a video address, he said that he wanted to vacate all the belts he currently held so that the guys waiting in line for them could box. He added, addressing his friends, that he was leaving the belts but was not leaving the sport because he had a last dance.

He went on to thank all the organizations, noting that he treated everyone with respect. He concluded by saying that there was more to come, giving thanks to God for everything, and proclaiming glory to Ukraine.

As Suspilne Sport notes, Usyk is thus vacating three major heavyweight titles – the WBC, WBA, and IBF championships, as well as The Ring magazine championship title.

The Ukrainian had held the WBA super champion title since his victory over Anthony Joshua in September 2021, when he became a world champion for the first time after moving up to heavyweight.

Usyk added the WBC title after his victory over Tyson Fury, when in May 2024 he became the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era.

The IBF belt also went to Usyk after his victory over Joshua, but the Ukrainian vacated it before the rematch with Fury. He managed to regain the title in his second fight against Daniel Dubois, which the boxer won by a fifth-round knockout.

Usyk announced his decision to vacate the titles after a deadline was set for his fight with mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel. The World Boxing Council (WBC) had given the