Usyk vacates world titles

Oleksandr Usyk announces he will vacate his world heavyweight titles before stepping into boxing ring for final time; he vacates WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles to bring an end to his dominance of the sport although the 39-year-old insists he has not retired

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>Oleksandr Usyk has vacated his WBC, WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine world heavyweight titles - but revealed he has not retired.

>Usyk, who is coming off a contentious stoppage win over kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven, has decided to drop the three sanctioning body belts in a move which has blown the heavyweight division wide open.

>However, the Ukrainian will not be retiring from the sport just yet as he revealed he will be fighting one last time before hanging up his gloves.

>Attention‼️Important update ⁰I am vacating my unified WBA, IBF and WBC heavyweight world titles ahead of stepping into the ring for my final fight.

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>In a video posted on social media, Usyk, who has an undefeated professional record of 25 wins, said: "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.

>"I'm leaving the belts but I'm not leaving the sport because I still have my last dance."

>He added: "I want to thank everyone. I have great respect for all organisations. I want to thank everyone and say more to come."

>In the caption of his social media post, Usyk wrote: "This is a well-considered decision that I am confident will open new opportunities for me.

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>"This is not the end of the story. The continuation lies ahead."

>Usyk, one of the greatest heavyweights of this generation, has been a champion in the division since 2021 when he dethroned Anthony Joshua.

>He held the undisputed heavyweight title twice and and is also a former undisputed cruiserweight champion.

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>Usyk was due to box mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel to remain the WBC title holder but it now seems the German will be elevated as the new champion.

>Young Briton Moses Itauma is also on course to fight for a heavyweight world title.

>Itauma is due to fight Croatia's Filip Hrgovic on August 29, with the clash to be held at the O2 arena in London.

>The WBO championship is held by Daniel Dubois and Itauma expects to meet the Londoner in an all-British heavyweight clash in 2027.