Usyk vacates world titles but vows one last dance

The unbeaten Ukrainian relinquishes his heavyweight championship belts to give other contenders a chance, while insisting his career is far from over.

Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk announced on his Instagram account that he is vacating the three world championship belts he currently holds.

The 39-year-old, who is the reigning heavyweight world champion with the World Boxing Association (WBA), the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the International Boxing Federation, said he has made the decision to allow the leading contenders to compete for those titles.

However, relinquishing the belts does not signal the end of his career, as Usyk made it clear that he intends to continue fighting.

"Today is a good day to announce that I am vacating all the belts I currently hold. That way, the guys who have been waiting for their opportunity to fight for them will finally get their chance. My friends, I am giving up the belts, but I am not leaving the sport because I still have one last dance ahead of me. I want to thank every organization, all of whom I have the utmost respect for. I still have more to show. Glory to God! Glory to Ukraine!" Usyk said in his statement.

Usyk boasts a perfect professional record of 25 fights and 25 victories, including 16 wins by knockout. Widely regarded by boxing experts as one of the greatest fighters of all time, he is also the only heavyweight boxer in the past 25 years to become the undisputed world champion by capturing all four major titles. He achieved that feat in May 2024 with a victory over Britain's Tyson Fury.