Usyk, who held the WBA, WBC and IBF belts, was the undisputed world champion in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions.
Published June 26, 2026
Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has given up his three boxing world title belts but says he will not retire.
“I want to free them up so that the guys who are lining up for them can box,” the 39-year-old Ukrainian, who is undefeated in his professional career, said on Friday.
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Usyk’s announcement comes just a month after he almost suffered a shocking upset loss to kickboxer Rico Verhoeven.
Usyk required a highly controversial 11th round stoppage to turn the tables on the Dutchman, who had been leading on the scorecards up to that point despite only competing in his second boxing bout.
“Hello everyone, it’s Friday, the weather is nice and it’s a good day to say I want to give up all the belts I currently have. I want to free up the belts so the guys in line can box,” Usyk said in a social media post.
“My friends, I am relinquishing the belt, but I am not leaving the sport, because there is still one last dance left.
“I want to thank everyone. I respect all the organizations. I want to thank everyone and say there’s more to come.”
Usyk, who held the WBA, WBC and IBF belts, was the undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, boasting an unblemished record of 25 wins, including 16 by knockout in as many bouts.
He is known for his excellent footwork and ring craft, as well as his ability to punch from unconventional angles.
symbolic victory
But he showed shadows of his former self in a labored and lackadaisical performance against Verhoeven, whose jerky style and bulldozing aggression made the Ukrainian player uneasy.
Verhoeven kept shaking Usyk in the shadow of the Great Pyramid of Giza, but was knocked down late in the 11th round.
After accomplishing the feat, Usyk peppered him with consecutive hits, but Verhoeven seemed to have weathered the storm until the referee jumped in to end the fight.
Usyk’s most iconic wins came against British heavyweights Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, each winning twice.
He won the WBA, WBO, and IBF belts by defeating Joshua in September 2021, and took the WBC belt from Fury in May 2024.
He had to give up his IBF belt for a rematch with Fury, but he won it back from Dubois in July 2025, only to give up his WBO belt a few months later.
Dubois won the belt in May by defeating fellow Briton Fabio Wardley.
Usyk defeated Paul Krzysztof Glowacki in 2016 to become the WBO cruiserweight champion, added the WBC strap in 2018 by defeating Latvia’s Mairis Bridis, and a few months later won the WBA and IBF belts from Russia’s Murat Gassiev.
The Russian, who has since moved up to heavyweight, was Usyk’s mandatory WBA challenger, but has now been upgraded to champion.
