(June 26th) Oxnard, California based Ukranian, Oleksandr Usyk has officially vacated his WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight world championships, bringing an end to his reign atop boxing's heavyweight division while confirming he is not retiring and intends to compete in one final bout before closing his legendary career. The announcement was made Friday in a video posted on social media, where the unbeaten Ukrainian said he wanted to relinquish the titles so the next generation of contenders could compete for them, describing the next stage of his career as his "last dance."

The 39-year-old, former Olympic gold medalist said he was stepping away from the championship belts—not from the sport. Thanking the sanctioning bodies, fans and supporters throughout his career, Usyk explained that making the titles available would allow deserving contenders to fight for heavyweight supremacy while he prepares for his farewell appearance.

Usyk enters the final chapter of his career with a perfect professional record of 25-0 with 16 knockouts. His most recent victory came in May, when he stopped former GLORY heavyweight kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven in the 11th round at the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, successfully defending his heavyweight crown and remaining undefeated. The bout followed his July 2025 knockout victory over Daniel Dubois, which restored his status as the undisputed heavyweight champion.

Usyk first made heavyweight history in May 2024 by defeating Tyson Fury to become boxing's first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era. He later surrendered the WBO title in 2025 while retaining the WBC, WBA and IBF championships. Friday's decision to vacate those remaining belts officially ends his tenure as a unified heavyweight champion and concludes another remarkable championship reign after previously becoming the undisputed cruiserweight champion earlier in his career.

The move immediately reshapes the heavyweight division, leaving the WBC, WBA and IBF championships available for the sport's leading contenders and setting the stage for new title fights in the months ahead. With mandatory title obligations no longer restricting his schedule, speculation has already turned toward the identity of Usyk's farewell opponent as he prepares for the final fight of one of boxing's most accomplished careers.