Usyk has relinquished all his championship belts
The boxer announced his decision in a video message posted on Instagram.
Usyk explained his decision
In the message, Usyk stated that the time had come to vacate his championship belts for those boxers who have long been waiting for the chance to fight for them.
“I am relinquishing my belts. I want to give a chance to those who are next in line. But I’m not retiring from the sport. I still have one last dance to dance,” said the Ukrainian champion.
Which titles has Usyk vacated?
Prior to this decision, Oleksandr Usyk held the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight championship belts. Following the Ukrainian’s relinquishment of the WBC title, German boxer Agit Kabayel, who is currently the organisation’s interim champion, could become the full champion under this version. It is also possible that the WBC will schedule a fight for the vacant belt.
What led up to this
As a reminder, on 23 May, Oleksandr Usyk successfully defended his WBC championship belt, defeating Dutch boxer Rick Verhuven by technical knockout in the 11th round.
Despite relinquishing his championship titles, the Ukrainian made it clear that he has no plans to end his professional career and intends to fight one more time.
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