Ukrainian superstar Oleksandr Usyk has announced his intention to vacate all of his heavyweight world titles.
The news came as a bolt from the blue, with a video posted directly on his social media in which Usyk revealed that he intends to relinquish his WBC, WBA and IBF belts, making them available for the young heavyweight contenders at the top of the respective rankings.
The decision may appear sudden, but it has undoubtedly been the result of careful reflection. We know the Ukrainian is no longer a young man, and we also know that there are plenty of hungry heavyweights eager to fight for glory. Let us therefore take a closer look at the current state of boxing’s most prestigious and talked-about division, and at the possible consequences of the former champion’s decision.
As far as the WBA is concerned, the situation is straightforward. Murat Gassiev is already the WBA Regular champion, so with Usyk stepping aside, the hard-hitting Russian will automatically become the full WBA world champion. His belt will no longer be considered a secondary title, but a fully recognized world championship, and he will make his first defense on July 11 in Moscow against France’s Tony Yoka.
The WBC situation also appears fairly clear. Agit Kabayel is the obvious candidate to move into the top position. A fight between the German and Usyk seemed to be the next logical matchup and the one most justified on merit, but following the Ukrainian’s decision, Kabayel could simply be elevated from interim champion to full world champion. After all, the WBC has made similar decisions in the past with fighters such as David Benavidez and Christian Mbilli.
Should that unlikely not happen, the vacant title could instead be contested between Kabayel and Tyson Fury, who is the highest-ranked available contender but, as we know, is currently finalizing the details of a long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua. Looking further down the rankings, considering Lawrence Okolie’s doping case and the fact that Filip Hrgovic and Moses Itauma are already scheduled to face each other, Mauricio Sulaiman’s organization could even decide to involve American former champion Deontay Wilder.
The IBF situation is somewhat more complicated. Frank Sanchez is the highest-ranked contender and will certainly be taken into consideration after winning his final eliminator against Richard Torrez with an impressive knockout victory.
As for Sanchez’s opponent, there are two possible scenarios. The IBF could wait for the outcome of the already scheduled clash between Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic, or it could instead turn to Anthony Joshua, who sits just behind them in the rankings. Here, the same issue applies as with the WBC: much will depend on whether the negotiations for Fury vs. Joshua are successfully completed. If they are, the IBF could consider approaching Uzbekistan’s Bahodir Jalolov, the two-time Olympic champion who remains undefeated as a professional.
The final question mark concerns the identity of Oleksandr Usyk’s farewell opponent. The Ukrainian did not mention any names, but the most likely possibilities appear to be a rematch with Rico Verhoeven, a crossover bout reportedly favored by Turki Alalshikh, or a showdown with Deontay Wilder, a fighter Usyk has frequently mentioned in the past as the last major name from his generation that he would like to face before bringing his remarkable career to a close.
We will have to wait and see what happens after this major shake-up in boxing’s premier division.