Oleksandr Usyk vacates heavyweight world titles but will continue boxing career

The 39-year-old Ukrainian, who has an unbeaten professional record, stated his intention to make the belts available for other contenders. Usyk clarified that he is not retiring from the sport, indicating he still has a "last dance" ahead. This announcement follows a recent fight where Usyk secured an 11th-round stoppage against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, who was leading on the scorecards despite it being only his second boxing bout.

Usyk has been an undisputed world champion in both cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, holding a professional record of 25 victories with 16 knockouts. His notable victories include multiple wins against Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Daniel Dubois. He won the WBA, WBO, and IBF belts from Joshua in September 2021 and the WBC belt from Fury in May 2024.

He had previously vacated the IBF belt for his rematch with Fury, won it back from Dubois in July 2025, and then vacated the WBO belt a few months later, which was subsequently won by Daniel Dubois in May.