Oleksandr Usyk announced on Friday his decision to surrender his three world heavyweight championship belts. The 39-year-old Ukrainian clarifies that he is not retiring from boxing, noting that he intends to release the titles so other contenders can compete for them. Usyk remains undefeated in his professional career.
This development follows his narrow victory against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven last month at the Pyramids of Giza. Usyk secured a controversial 11th-round stoppage in that match, despite trailing on the scorecards against the Dutchman. In a social media update, the champion expressed his respect for boxing organizations and confirmed he still has a final career milestone to pursue.
Usyk holds an unblemished record of 25 professional wins with 16 knock-outs. His career highlights include decisive victories over Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Daniel Dubois. Having achieved undisputed status at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, the former Olympic and world amateur champion intends to return to the ring for at least one more performance.
