Oleksandr Usyk has announced that he will be vacating his belts but is not retiring from boxing.
The undefeated heavyweight superstar, 39, was in possession of the WBA ‘super’, WBC and IBF belts.
He will allow his rivals to now compete for those titles while he plots his next move and on Friday posted on X: ‘This is a well-considered decision that I am confident will open new opportunities for me. This is not the end of the story. The continuation lies ahead.’
The Ukrainian later elaborated in a video message shared on Instagram: ‘Good afternoon friends, good afternoon everyone! It’s Friday, the weather is beautiful, a good time to say I want to vacate all the belts I currently hold.
‘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 not leaving the sport because I still have the last dance.
‘I want to thank everyone, I have great respect for all organisations and want to say there’s more to come! Glory to God for everything, glory to Ukraine!’
Oleksandr Usyk says he will vacate his titles but is not retiring from boxing
Usyk was expected to cruise to victory over Rico Verhoeven in Egypt back in May.
But he ended up winning with a controversial 11th-round stoppage against the decorated kickboxer.
At the time the referee intervened, the Dutchman was on course for a stunning upset, ahead on the cards 95-95, 95-95 and 96-94.
In the lead-up to the bout, Usyk said he planned on fighting twice more before hanging up his gloves.
‘I wanted the referee to let me go out on my shield or let me go in the 12th. I felt we were pretty even on the scorecards’, Verhoeven said and a rematch between the pair is one possibility.
WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel would be the next mandatory challenger, while Daniel Dubois holds the WBO belt having beaten Fabio Wardley.
Now Usyk has given up his belts, it seems less likely that Kabayel will have his chance to take him on.
It will be fascinating to see which path one of boxing’s modern greats decides to go down next.
