Oleksandr Usyk to relinquish heavyweight title belts for 'new opportunities'
L'essentiel
World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk announced he will relinquish his WBC, WBA, and IBF title belts, stating it's a "well-considered decision" to open new opportunities and allow other boxers to contend, though he is not retiring from the sport.
Résumé généré par IA
The world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has announced he will relinquish his title belts. The Ukrainian currently holds the WBC, WBA and IBF versions.
The unbeaten 39-year-old insists he is not retiring but says the “well-considered” decision will “open new opportunities”.
Usyk said in a video posted on X: “It’s a good day to say that 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 am leaving the belts but I’m not leaving the sport because I still have my last dance.”
He captioned the video with the message, “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.”
Usyk last fought in May, when he stopped Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in the 11th round, although not all of his heavyweight titles were on the line.
Usyk’s sporting director, Sergey Lapin, told ESPN that the Ukrainian had vacated the belts to give former champion Anthony Joshua, whom Usyk has beaten twice, a chance to reunify them.
“As for Oleksandr, his goal has always been to finish his legendary career with his final fights in the United States, where he wants to leave the last chapter of his boxing legacy,” Lapin said.
