Oleksandr Usyk isn’t just vacating the WBC title, which had become increasingly suspected in recent weeks, he’s vacating all three of the titles he currently holds.
Usyk has announced that he’s giving up the WBC, WBA, and IBF world heavyweight titles, but he is not announcing a retirement. At minimum, he says he will have a “last dance” in the ring.
“Today is Friday, the weather is beautiful, and it’s a good day to say that I want to vacate all the belts I currently hold,” Usyk said in a video posted
to social media.
“I want to make them available so the guys who are next in line can fight for them. Friends, I’m leaving the belts, but I’m not leaving the sport, because I still have my last dance. I want to thank everyone. I have great respect for all organizations. I want to thank everyone and say there’s more to come!”
Usyk had been ordered by the WBC to defend against interim champion Agit Kabayel, with a June 30 deadline looming before the bout went to purse bids. The 39-year-old Usyk has opted to vacate that belt and his other two, so there will be no mandatory orders to field at all.
What happens to the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles now?
WBC
Seems the clearest-cut of the vacancies, as the most likely scenario with the WBC is that Kabayel will be named their full champion. This is fair enough; Kabayel (27-0, 19 KO) has held the interim title since February 2025, when he beat Zhilei Zhang to win it, and defended in January against Damian Knyba.
This isn’t guaranteed, but the move to simply elevate Kabayel would be consistent with other recent events of this type, and the WBC clearly see Kabayel as worthy, or a way to avoid the order to face Usyk in the first place would have been avoided.
WBA
With the WBA, there is a ready-made “solution,” but we’ll see if it’s what they want. Usyk is vacating their ridiculous “super world” title, and Murat Gassiev already holds the secondary “world” title, which he won from faded veteran Kubrat Pulev last December. Gassiev is set to defend on July 11 against Tony Yoka.
The WBA could just recognize only Gassiev, but he’s not that big of a draw, and these things do matter. End of the day, the sanctioning bodies want good chunks of money from their fees and to be associated with big fights. It’s nothing to do with Gassiev personally, he’s just fought the fights he’s been able to get.
At the moment, Moses Itauma is the WBA’s No. 1 ranked contender. He faces No. 6-rated WBA contender Filip Hrgovic on August 29. As dumb and convoluted as it may seem, that could be sanctioned for the “vacant” WBA “super world” title. They have done dumber things is all I’m saying.
Filling out the Nos. 2 through 5 slots are Jarrell Miller, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Nelson Hysa. Gurgen Hovhannisyan, Danier Pero, Artem Suslenkov, and Efe Ajagba are in the Nos. 7 though 10 slots.
Another option for the WBA could lie with two of those names: Fury and Joshua. If they are to meet late this year as anticipated, the WBA could wait for that and declare that fight to be for a “super world” title, citing their global reputations and accomplishments and stature, etc. Again, they’ve done dumber things.
IBF
The IBF, meanwhile, are often lauded because they follow their set rules, however dumb their rules may be or however bad their rankings. Neither of those things make them unique among the other three major bodies, but yes, they do tend to follow rules.
With the IBF, Frank Sanchez is currently the No. 1-ranked contender, having thumped Richard Torrez Jr in an eliminator in May. The No. 2 slot is vacant. Itauma and Hrgovic are ranked Nos. 3 and 4. That fight could be an eliminator to set up the winner against Sanchez.
Past those two, you’re looking down the line at Joshua at No. 5, Bakhodir Jalolov at No. 6 for whatever reason, Fury at No. 7, and Fabio Wardley, Deontay Wilder, and Richard Riakporhe rounding out the top 10. The aforementioned Torrez, Guido Vianello, Justis Huni, Ajagba, and Brandon Moore are the rest of the top 15.
What’s next for Oleksandr Usyk?
What’s happened here may be pushing in the direction of Usyk facing Rico Verhoeven in a rematch, without any belts “held up” while he runs that fight back. That would surely be disappointing news for Verhoeven, to some degree, and we also don’t know if maybe that makes a difference for Rico. But there’s still a lot of money in that fight.
Otherwise, who knows? Usyk may be looking in an entirely different direction. Could be anything. Could be a pure farewell fight, similar to what Katie Taylor is going to do in September at Croke Park in Dublin, where the Irish hero is facing an opponent nobody reasonably thinks can beat her, more a celebration of all she’s done and a way to say goodbye. For all we know, Usyk could go out there and fight his buddy Derek Chisora again. Maybe do some sort of exhibition with Mike Tyson or Roy Jones Jr. You really can’t count out any idea anymore.
