The undefeated Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk, with a professional record of 25 victories at the age of 39, has surprised his fans by announcing he is relinquishing all of his world championship belts: the World Boxing Association (WBA) “super” title, along with the World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) titles. This decision is expected to pave the way for new opportunities.
“This is a well-considered decision that I am confident will open new doors for me. This is not the end of the story. What comes next is still to be revealed,” Usyk stated in a video shared on social media. He explained his intention was to make the titles available for the next generation of fighters to pursue, while also confirming that he is not retiring yet and still has “one last fight” left in him.
Usyk’s most recent bout was a knockout victory against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in Egypt a month ago. This fight was met with some controversy as it put his WBC heavyweight title on the line against a kickboxing legend who lacked professional boxing experience. Notably, Verhoeven would not have been eligible to contend for the WBA “super” title, and the IBF had not sanctioned his belt for that particular match.