Oleksandr Usyk gives up heavyweight belts but says career will continue
The unbeaten Ukrainian said he is vacating the WBA, WBC and IBF titles while keeping open plans for one more fight.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Oleksandr Usyk said he is giving up the three heavyweight world titles he still held, a move that clears the way for other contenders to fight for the belts. The unbeaten Ukrainian also said he is not ending his boxing career, according to AFP.
Usyk, 39, announced the decision Friday in a social media post. AFP reported that he had held the WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles before saying he wanted to release the belts.
“I want to vacate all the belts that I currently hold,” Usyk said, adding that he wanted “to make them free so that the guys who are in line for them can box.” He also said he was “not leaving the sport” because he still had his “last dance.”
Decision follows tense Verhoeven fight
AFP reported that Usyk’s announcement came about a month after he avoided defeat against Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven. Usyk won that fight by an 11th-round stoppage that AFP described as highly controversial.
Verhoeven, fighting in only his second professional boxing bout, had been ahead on the judges’ scorecards before the stoppage, according to AFP. The fight took place near the Great Pyramid of Giza, where AFP reported that Verhoeven’s pressure and awkward movement troubled Usyk and that the Dutchman hurt him several times.
Usyk knocked Verhoeven down late in the 11th round, AFP reported. After Verhoeven rose, Usyk attacked with a series of punches before the referee ended the bout, though AFP reported that Verhoeven appeared to be coping with the exchange.
Champion across two divisions
Usyk leaves the belts with a professional record of 25 wins from 25 fights, including 16 knockouts, according to AFP. He has been undisputed champion at cruiserweight and heavyweight, a rare achievement in modern boxing.
AFP reported that Usyk is known for his footwork, ring craft and ability to land punches from unusual angles. His biggest heavyweight wins came against British fighters Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, each of whom he defeated twice, according to AFP.
Usyk beat Joshua in September 2021 to win the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles, AFP reported. He added the WBC belt by defeating Fury in May 2024.
He later gave up the IBF belt before his rematch with Fury, then regained it by beating Dubois in July 2025, according to AFP. Usyk also vacated the WBO title months later, and Dubois won that belt by beating Fabio Wardley in May.
Gassiev elevated by WBA
AFP reported that Murat Gassiev, the Russian who had been Usyk’s WBA mandatory challenger, has now been elevated to champion. Gassiev also moved up to heavyweight after competing at cruiserweight.
Usyk’s cruiserweight rise began in 2016, when he beat Poland’s Krzysztof Glowacki for the WBO title, according to AFP. He added the WBC belt by defeating Latvia’s Mairis Briedis in 2018, then won the WBA and IBF titles from Gassiev later that year.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.