Oleksandr Usyk, the undefeated Ukrainian boxer who has dominated heavyweight boxing for several years, announced on Friday that he is relinquishing his WBA, WBC and IBF world heavyweight championship belts. The 39-year-old, who holds a perfect professional record of 25 wins including 16 knockouts, said he wanted to free up the titles so that other contenders could compete for them. "I'm giving up the belts, but I'm not leaving the sport, because I still have my last dance," he wrote in a social media post, leaving open the possibility of at least one more high-profile fight.

The announcement came just over a month after Usyk survived a serious scare against Rico Verhoeven, the Dutch kickboxing icon who had only his second professional boxing bout, in a fight staged in the shadow of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt on 24 May. Verhoeven rocked Usyk repeatedly and held a clear lead on the scorecards through ten rounds before being stopped by the referee late in the eleventh. Usyk's team celebrated, but Verhoeven's camp protested vigorously, arguing the stoppage was premature — a complaint that was subsequently rejected by the relevant authorities. Verhoeven himself responded to Usyk's announcement on social media, suggesting a rematch billed as "the biggest crossover event of this era."

Vacating the belts reshuffles the heavyweight division significantly. Usyk had been under obligation from the WBC to defend against mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel, a German-based heavyweight of Turkish origin, by 30 June — a bout he has now effectively sidestepped. Meanwhile, French heavyweight Tony Yoka and Russian contender Murat Gassiev are scheduled to fight on 11 July for the WBA title; their bout, which was originally set to determine who would challenge Usyk, will now crown a new champion outright. Gassiev, who had been elevated to mandatory challenger status by the WBA, will be upgraded directly to champion regardless of the outcome.

Usyk's legacy in the sport is already secure. Born in Crimea, he first became undisputed world champion at cruiserweight — winning all four major belts between 2016 and 2018 — before moving up to the heavyweight division. There he defeated British heavyweights Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois, each twice, accumulating all the major belts in the process. His combination of exceptional footwork, ring intelligence and ability to land punches from unorthodox angles earned him a reputation as one of the finest technicians of his generation. Whether his promised final fight materialises as a rematch with Verhoeven or a more conventional heavyweight contest, he departs the world title picture as an undisputed champion in every meaningful sense.