Oleksandr Usyk has vacated his WBC, WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine world heavyweight titles – but revealed he has not retired.
Usyk, who is coming off a contentious stoppage win over kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven, has decided to drop the three sanctioning body belts in a move which has blown the heavyweight division wide open.
However, the Ukrainian will not be retiring from the sport just yet as he revealed he will be fighting one last time before hanging up his gloves.
In a video posted on social media, Usyk said: “It’s a good day to say that I want to vacate all the belts I currently hold. I want to make them available so the guys who are next in line can fight for them.
“I’m leaving the belts but I’m not leaving the sport because I still have my last dance.”
He added: “I want to thank everyone. I have great respect for all organisations. I want to thank everyone and say more to come.”
In the caption of his social media post, Usyk wrote: “This is a well-considered decision that I am confident will open new opportunities for me.
“This is not the end of the story. The continuation lies ahead.”
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