Oleksandr Usyk vacates IBF, WBC and WBA belts

[gilgamesh]

Continually vacate titles? You say that as if he's done it more than once. He's never vacated any of his Heavyweight belts up to now.

I suppose he vacated the Cruiserweight title by moving up to the Heavyweight division, but that's standard practice in the sport.

He's certainly not been the Greatest Heavyweight Champion, but I think it's more than fair to say he's been a Great one. He's unbeaten, he's beaten the top guys there were to beat, and he's not done yet. He still may rack up 1 more big win before it's all said and done.

As of now I have him in the All Time Top 15 at Heavyweight, and I think that's a fair place to have him. When you really do your research you'll find that yes there were better Champions than Usyk, but there sure weren't many.

[Finkel]

He beat the three best fighters in the division, twice each.

The first AJ fight was for the unified titles, and the second fight happened because of the rematch clause.
After that, he fought his mandatory challenger, Dubois.

Fury 1 was for the undisputed titles, and the second fight was due to the rematch clause.
Then he fought Dubois again to unify the titles once more.

Only the Rico fight is questionable, but after becoming undisputed three times, it is definitely fair to take that kind of fight...

It's funny how boxing fans only start caring about beloved mandatories when they don't like someone.

Dubois was never established as the best contender in the division, and certainly not when Usyk fought him. Strange claim to make

The first time, Dubois was one of the most unworthy challengers there had been in years after the Lerena fiasco. The second time, lets not forget Dubois was actually injured when Usyk selected him for the rematch instead of his WBO mandatory Parker... Parker being the guy who Dubois was scheduled to face, but pulled out injured against.
So while you could argue Dubois was one of the out of Dubois/Parker/Kabayel, Usyk hand picked the injured one and then ducked the other two.

In total Usyk has messed around or flat out refused to fight Joyce/Hrgovic/Parker/Wardley/Kabayel
(He also messed Takam around)

One or two is forgiveable (you cant fight everyone). But three or four is hard to defend. Five is just ridiculous.

And I liked Usyk just fine, until he stopped acting like a champion. Some time between Dubois I and Fury I.

Still, he was an all time great boxer, just a terrible champion

Calling it a "strange claim" just shows you don't know what you are talking about.
Dubois was literally the official IBF mandatory for the first fight. That’s not an opinion, that’s a fact.
Just to remind you...that's your issue with Usyk..

refused to face any mandatories after getting to the top

Usyk literally did exactly what you complained he didn't do: he fought his mandatory.
As for the rematch: Dubois held the other major belt. It was a unification fight to become undisputed again. Why on earth would Usyk fight Parker or Kabayel when he had the chance to win another world title against the actual champion?

And crying about Dubois being injured is a joke. If a fighter steps into the ring, he’s fit to fight. No one forced Dubois to sign the contract. If he was too hurt, he should have pulled out.

You're reaching so hard to find excuses to downplay Usyks achievements.
Haters gonna hate. If it fulfills your life, be my guest. But I'm done arguing with a brick wall.

Actually, everything above is an accurate recounting of events. You seem to be misremembering timelines a bit.

As we know Dubois was no longer Usyk's mandatory when he selected him. Parker was.
Usyk selected the injured guy he had already beaten (with ease) rather the guy in the best form - his actual mandatory. This was dressed it up as Undisputed 2. But I say again, Dubois was never the clear number one and certainly neither of the two times he fought Usyk. Its just the truth of the matter. Sorry

Btw, you also seem to have written out, that Usyk's long-time IBF mandatory was originally Hrgovic. This his mandatory was when Usyk signed up for not one but two Fury fights. He was also his mandatory after Fury 1.

This part is speculation, but it seemed highly likely that Usyk's team told the IBF that he would fight his mandatory straight after Fury 1. Which would explain why the IBF eventually stepped out of the way and let the undisputed fight go ahead (even though it had been years since the last IBF mandatory, with Usyk already having fought a voluntary defence against Joshua II - we do know they clearly didn't want the belt holder having another voluntary though, i.e. they took issue with Fury II)

Usyk held the IBF belt as long as he could and dropped the belt just before he was about to be stripped "to give others a chance" because he wanted to fight a lucrative voluntary instead.

This should all sound very familiar by now.

After all, he's done it three times in a row, so it definitely shouldn't be coming as a surprise to anyone

It is not being a hater to point out the true events in sequence.

[gilgamesh]

Dubois was never established as the best contender in the division, and certainly not when Usyk fought him. Strange claim to make

The first time, Dubois was one of the most unworthy challengers there had been in years after the Lerena fiasco. The second time, lets not forget Dubois was actually injured when Usyk selected him for the rematch instead of his WBO mandatory Parker... Parker being the guy who Dubois was scheduled to face, but pulled out injured against.
So while you could argue Dubois was one of the out of Dubois/Parker/Kabayel, Usyk hand picked the injured one and then ducked the other two.

In total Usyk has messed around or flat out refused to fight Joyce/Hrgovic/Parker/Wardley/Kabayel
(He also messed Takam around)

One or two is forgiveable (you cant fight everyone). But three or four is hard to defend. Five is just ridiculous.

And I liked Usyk just fine, until he stopped acting like a champion. Some time between Dubois I and Fury I.

Still, he was an all time great boxer, just a terrible champion

Calling it a "strange claim" just shows you don't know what you are talking about.
Dubois was literally the official IBF mandatory for the first fight. That’s not an opinion, that’s a fact.
Just to remind you...that's your issue with Usyk..

refused to face any mandatories after getting to the top

Usyk literally did exactly what you complained he didn't do: he fought his mandatory.
As for the rematch: Dubois held the other major belt. It was a unification fight to become undisputed again. Why on earth would Usyk fight Parker or Kabayel when he had the chance to win another world title against the actual champion?

And crying about Dubois being injured is a joke. If a fighter steps into the ring, he’s fit to fight. No one forced Dubois to sign the contract. If he was too hurt, he should have pulled out.

You're reaching so hard to find excuses to downplay Usyks achievements.
Haters gonna hate. If it fulfills your life, be my guest. But I'm done arguing with a brick wall.

Actually, everything above is an accurate recounting of events. You seem to be misremembering timelines a bit.

As we know Dubois was no longer Usyk's mandatory when he selected him. Parker was.
Usyk selected the injured guy he had already beaten (with ease) rather the guy in the best form - his actual mandatory. This was dressed it up as Undisputed 2. But I say again, Dubois was never the clear number one and certainly neither of the two times he fought Usyk. Its just the truth of the matter. Sorry

Btw, you also seem to have written out, that Usyk's long-time IBF mandatory was originally Hrgovic. This his mandatory was when Usyk signed up for not one but two Fury fights. He was also his mandatory after Fury 1.

This part is speculation, but it seemed highly likely that Usyk's team told the IBF that he would fight his mandatory straight after Fury 1. Which would explain why the IBF eventually stepped out of the way and let the undisputed fight go ahead (even though it had been years since the last IBF mandatory, with Usyk already having fought a voluntary defence against Joshua II - we do know they clearly didn't want the belt holder having another voluntary though, i.e. they took issue with Fury II)

Usyk held the IBF belt as long as he could and dropped the belt just before he was about to be stripped "to give others a chance" because he wanted to fight a lucrative voluntary instead.

This should all sound very familiar by now.

After all, he's done it three times in a row, so it definitely shouldn't be coming as a surprise to anyone

It is not being a hater to point out the true events in sequence.

The Events in the order you pointed them out are indeed accurate. Nevertheless Usyk vs Dubois 2 was obviously the right move at the time. It was what his promoter wanted, it was what got him his Undisputed Status back (though in my opinion he didn't need to win back what he had never lost), but Usyk vs Dubois 2 wasn't really what the fans wanted.

It be that way sometimes. Dubois at least as of this moment seems to be the most accomplished of the next generation, some of the others may catch up to him in time, but for now Dubois is out in front of the likes of Kabayel and Wardley and Itauma.

[Finkel]

Calling it a "strange claim" just shows you don't know what you are talking about.
Dubois was literally the official IBF mandatory for the first fight. That’s not an opinion, that’s a fact.
Just to remind you...that's your issue with Usyk..



Usyk literally did exactly what you complained he didn't do: he fought his mandatory.
As for the rematch: Dubois held the other major belt. It was a unification fight to become undisputed again. Why on earth would Usyk fight Parker or Kabayel when he had the chance to win another world title against the actual champion?

And crying about Dubois being injured is a joke. If a fighter steps into the ring, he’s fit to fight. No one forced Dubois to sign the contract. If he was too hurt, he should have pulled out.

You're reaching so hard to find excuses to downplay Usyks achievements.
Haters gonna hate. If it fulfills your life, be my guest. But I'm done arguing with a brick wall.

Actually, everything above is an accurate recounting of events. You seem to be misremembering timelines a bit.

As we know Dubois was no longer Usyk's mandatory when he selected him. Parker was.
Usyk selected the injured guy he had already beaten (with ease) rather the guy in the best form - his actual mandatory. This was dressed it up as Undisputed 2. But I say again, Dubois was never the clear number one and certainly neither of the two times he fought Usyk. Its just the truth of the matter. Sorry

Btw, you also seem to have written out, that Usyk's long-time IBF mandatory was originally Hrgovic. This his mandatory was when Usyk signed up for not one but two Fury fights. He was also his mandatory after Fury 1.

This part is speculation, but it seemed highly likely that Usyk's team told the IBF that he would fight his mandatory straight after Fury 1. Which would explain why the IBF eventually stepped out of the way and let the undisputed fight go ahead (even though it had been years since the last IBF mandatory, with Usyk already having fought a voluntary defence against Joshua II - we do know they clearly didn't want the belt holder having another voluntary though, i.e. they took issue with Fury II)

Usyk held the IBF belt as long as he could and dropped the belt just before he was about to be stripped "to give others a chance" because he wanted to fight a lucrative voluntary instead.

This should all sound very familiar by now.

After all, he's done it three times in a row, so it definitely shouldn't be coming as a surprise to anyone

It is not being a hater to point out the true events in sequence.

The Events in the order you pointed them out are indeed accurate. Nevertheless Usyk vs Dubois 2 was obviously the right move at the time. It was what his promoter wanted, it was what got him his Undisputed Status back (though in my opinion he didn't need to win back what he had never lost), but Usyk vs Dubois 2 wasn't really what the fans wanted.

I agree, and I think that is a balanced take. My issue is that this wasn't a one off issue within his reign as champion.

It be that way sometimes. Dubois at least as of this moment seems to be the most accomplished of the next generation, some of the others may catch up to him in time, but for now Dubois is out in front of the likes of Kabayel and Wardley and Itauma.

We will see how things develop with Dubois. At present he has won two title fights and lost two. But he is currently holding a belt, but this is kind of tied to the opportunities that Warren keeps negotiating for him.
The last part, I disagree with though - our own community rankings have Kabayel at #1

[Perkin Warbeck]

[gilgamesh]

Actually, everything above is an accurate recounting of events. You seem to be misremembering timelines a bit.

As we know Dubois was no longer Usyk's mandatory when he selected him. Parker was.
Usyk selected the injured guy he had already beaten (with ease) rather the guy in the best form - his actual mandatory. This was dressed it up as Undisputed 2. But I say again, Dubois was never the clear number one and certainly neither of the two times he fought Usyk. Its just the truth of the matter. Sorry

Btw, you also seem to have written out, that Usyk's long-time IBF mandatory was originally Hrgovic. This his mandatory was when Usyk signed up for not one but two Fury fights. He was also his mandatory after Fury 1.

This part is speculation, but it seemed highly likely that Usyk's team told the IBF that he would fight his mandatory straight after Fury 1. Which would explain why the IBF eventually stepped out of the way and let the undisputed fight go ahead (even though it had been years since the last IBF mandatory, with Usyk already having fought a voluntary defence against Joshua II - we do know they clearly didn't want the belt holder having another voluntary though, i.e. they took issue with Fury II)

Usyk held the IBF belt as long as he could and dropped the belt just before he was about to be stripped "to give others a chance" because he wanted to fight a lucrative voluntary instead.

This should all sound very familiar by now.

After all, he's done it three times in a row, so it definitely shouldn't be coming as a surprise to anyone

It is not being a hater to point out the true events in sequence.

The Events in the order you pointed them out are indeed accurate. Nevertheless Usyk vs Dubois 2 was obviously the right move at the time. It was what his promoter wanted, it was what got him his Undisputed Status back (though in my opinion he didn't need to win back what he had never lost), but Usyk vs Dubois 2 wasn't really what the fans wanted.

I agree, and I think that is a balanced take. My issue is that this wasn't a one off issue within his reign as champion.

It be that way sometimes. Dubois at least as of this moment seems to be the most accomplished of the next generation, some of the others may catch up to him in time, but for now Dubois is out in front of the likes of Kabayel and Wardley and Itauma.

We will see how things develop with Dubois. At present he has won two title fights and lost two. But he is currently holding a belt, but this is kind of tied to the opportunities that Warren keeps negotiating for him.
The last part, I disagree with though - our own community rankings have Kabayel at #1

No sense in arguing who is better between Kabayel and Dubois right now. They're still fighting out this argument.

[Thomastearns]

At this point in his career, with the finishing line in sight, Usyk, like others before him, must be thinking of securing the biggest money/lowest risk fights out there.

And, since the Fury/AJ situation is contractually working its way towards the biggest purse it can still generate in 2026, most of it due to Fury's tendency to squeeze every last penny out of his misguided 'fans', the biggest fight for Usyk is clearly a rematch with Rico Verhoeven.

I suspect Usyk now regrets having carried Rico so far into their 'contest' and will despatch him much quicker this time.

And yes, this also allows Usyk to assert his towering reputation over the sport and it's various parasitic business interests, some of whom are labelled as 'sanctioning bodies.'

If Usyk so wishes, injury accumulation permitting, he could always still return at a future date and fight whichever belt holder he wants.

Boxing, at the summit, is not a sport, it's more of a business. A Usyk return would no doubt trigger a bigger feeding frenzy than if he were to continue to defend his belts as things stand.

Usyk is definitely a contender for the greatest HW of all time, his record insists upon that, and it's frankly ridiculous to suggest he's avoiding a very good journeyman like Agit Kabayel because he's scared of losing.

Well, scared of losing money maybe, but certainly not losing the fight.

[gilgamesh]

At this point in his career, with the finishing line in sight, Usyk, like others before him, must be thinking of securing the biggest money/lowest risk fights out there.

And, since the Fury/AJ situation is contractually working its way towards the biggest purse it can still generate in 2026, most of it due to Fury's tendency to squeeze every last penny out of his misguided 'fans', the biggest fight for Usyk is clearly a rematch with Rico Verhoeven.

I suspect Usyk now regrets having carried Rico so far into their 'contest' and will despatch him much quicker this time.

And yes, this also allows Usyk to assert his towering reputation over the sport and it's various parasitic business interests, some of whom are labelled as 'sanctioning bodies.'

If Usyk so wishes, injury accumulation permitting, he could always still return at a future date and fight whichever belt holder he wants.

Boxing, at the summit, is not a sport, it's more of a business. A Usyk return would no doubt trigger a bigger feeding frenzy than if he were to continue to defend his belts as things stand.

Usyk is definitely a contender for the greatest HW of all time, his record insists upon that, and it's frankly ridiculous to suggest he's avoiding a very good journeyman like Agit Kabayel because he's scared of losing.

Well, scared of losing money maybe, but certainly not losing the fight.

If not the Verhoeven rematch then a Wilder fight is probably his other best option. Wilder is the biggest name of his era that he hasn't faced so if he beats him, he beat the big trifecta of Fury, Joshua, Wilder that dominated Heavyweight headlines for many years.

[Finkel]

The Events in the order you pointed them out are indeed accurate. Nevertheless Usyk vs Dubois 2 was obviously the right move at the time. It was what his promoter wanted, it was what got him his Undisputed Status back (though in my opinion he didn't need to win back what he had never lost), but Usyk vs Dubois 2 wasn't really what the fans wanted.

I agree, and I think that is a balanced take. My issue is that this wasn't a one off issue within his reign as champion.

It be that way sometimes. Dubois at least as of this moment seems to be the most accomplished of the next generation, some of the others may catch up to him in time, but for now Dubois is out in front of the likes of Kabayel and Wardley and Itauma.

We will see how things develop with Dubois. At present he has won two title fights and lost two. But he is currently holding a belt, but this is kind of tied to the opportunities that Warren keeps negotiating for him.
The last part, I disagree with though - our own community rankings have Kabayel at #1

No sense in arguing who is better between Kabayel and Dubois right now. They're still fighting out this argument.

Completely agree. But the orgs better hope Kabayel changes that in the short term.

Actually, given the above news of his elevation, if the orgs are smart, they should move quickly toward a unification.

Kabayel (WBC) v Gassiev (WBA)

If, as I suspect is about to happen. Usyk signs with Zuffa, it will be the only way to retain control when the Zuffa belt becomes aligned with the Lineal heavyweight champion and the The Ring magazine. Just as they did at cruiserweight back in March.

[gilgamesh]

I agree, and I think that is a balanced take. My issue is that this wasn't a one off issue within his reign as champion.


We will see how things develop with Dubois. At present he has won two title fights and lost two. But he is currently holding a belt, but this is kind of tied to the opportunities that Warren keeps negotiating for him.
The last part, I disagree with though - our own community rankings have Kabayel at #1

No sense in arguing who is better between Kabayel and Dubois right now. They're still fighting out this argument.

Completely agree. But the orgs better hope Kabayel changes that in the short term.

Actually, given the above news of his elevation, if the orgs are smart, they should move quickly toward a unification.

Kabayel (WBC) v Gassiev (WBA)

If, as I suspect is about to happen. Usyk signs with Zuffa, it will be the only way to retain control when the Zuffa belt becomes aligned with the Lineal heavyweight champion and the The Ring magazine. Just as they did at cruiserweight back in March.

Yeah the Boxing establishment at large would definitely be well served to have a Unified Champion that isn't signed to Zuffa if they want to put up a fight against them.

Control of the Heavyweight Title usually translates to Control of Boxing itself in large part. Ask Don King or Tex Rickard.

[SportsRatings]

Usyk's wins and (later) record are a lot like Marciano's

Marciano really was just getting going with tougher (title-level) fights when he retired. Just like Usyk really only had his HW fights in the last several years of his career, his last half dozen or so.

Both beat their most formidable challengers twice (Marciano beat Walcott twice in a row and Ezzard Charles twice in a row, while Usyk beat Fury x 2 and Joshua x2 both back-to-back) Usyk added Dubois x 2 but not back to back, maybe that's comparable to Marciano beating Lastarza twice.

Both undefeated, though Marciano had twice as many fights. Rocky retired at 32 and Usyk is nearly 40, but 40 is probably the new 32 for HW boxers by now.

Both cleared out the division in quick succession (Marciano in like 3 year, Usyk in 5 or so) and called it a day. Assuming that's what Usyk is doing, I'm not sure what his statement means but he doesn't have many fights left.

[Eolaithe]

Continually vacate titles? You say that as if he's done it more than once. He's never vacated any of his Heavyweight belts up to now.

Oleksandr Usyk has repeatedly given up his heavyweight belts to pursue the fights he prefers.

In June 2024, he vacated the IBF title to chase a Tyson Fury rematch instead of facing mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.

In November 2025, he surrendered the WBO belt after declining a mandatory bout with Fabio Wardley, choosing to fight one‑fight novice Rico Verhoeven instead.

Two days ago, he vacated the WBA and WBC titles as well, opting for a Deontay Wilder fight rather than mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel — and likely avoiding Murat Gassiev down the line.

[joshj909]

Continually vacate titles? You say that as if he's done it more than once. He's never vacated any of his Heavyweight belts up to now.

Oleksandr Usyk has repeatedly given up his heavyweight belts to pursue the fights he prefers.

In June 2024, he vacated the IBF title to chase a Tyson Fury rematch instead of facing mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.

In November 2025, he surrendered the WBO belt after declining a mandatory bout with Fabio Wardley, choosing to fight one‑fight novice Rico Verhoeven instead.

Two days ago, he vacated the WBA and WBC titles as well, opting for a Deontay Wilder fight rather than mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel — and likely avoiding Murat Gassiev down the line.

Usyk is avoiding Gassiev?

[gilgamesh]

Continually vacate titles? You say that as if he's done it more than once. He's never vacated any of his Heavyweight belts up to now.

Oleksandr Usyk has repeatedly given up his heavyweight belts to pursue the fights he prefers.

In June 2024, he vacated the IBF title to chase a Tyson Fury rematch instead of facing mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.

In November 2025, he surrendered the WBO belt after declining a mandatory bout with Fabio Wardley, choosing to fight one‑fight novice Rico Verhoeven instead.

Two days ago, he vacated the WBA and WBC titles as well, opting for a Deontay Wilder fight rather than mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel — and likely avoiding Murat Gassiev down the line.

He's already beaten Gassiev. He beat Dubois twice. I'm pretty sure the Tyson Fury rematch was contractually obliged.

I think the moves he's making generally are the right ones.

[PRINCEKOOL]

Continually vacate titles? You say that as if he's done it more than once. He's never vacated any of his Heavyweight belts up to now.

I suppose he vacated the Cruiserweight title by moving up to the Heavyweight division, but that's standard practice in the sport.

He's certainly not been the Greatest Heavyweight Champion, but I think it's more than fair to say he's been a Great one. He's unbeaten, he's beaten the top guys there were to beat, and he's not done yet. He still may rack up 1 more big win before it's all said and done.

As of now I have him in the All Time Top 15 at Heavyweight, and I think that's a fair place to have him. When you really do your research you'll find that yes there were better Champions than Usyk, but there sure weren't many.

Oleksandr Uysk has never been stripped of his titles, he has VOLUNTARY vacated his titles every single time. Those are the facts.

Note: You need to stop overrating; Oleksandr Uysk's standing in the sport 'he is not above or beyond the titles. Therefore if he holds any world titles, then he must adhere to the rules and mandates as a Champion'.

Was Muhammad Ali a greater heavyweight Champion than Oleksandr Uysk? Yes. Did Muhammad Ali defend his titles? Yes.

Was Sugar Ray Robinson a greater overall Champion and fighter than Oleksandr Uysk? Yes. Did Sugar Ray Robinson defend his titles? Yes.

The list goes on, and on. Oleksandr Uysk is a great fighter, and Champion 'but he is not the first, and he will not be the last'.

I think in the history of Heavyweight Boxing, Oleksandr Uysk may have voluntary vacated his Heavyweight titles the most of all-times 'he is definitively one of the most prolific fighters in history when it comes to that statistic'.

Overall Oleksandr Uysk is a great fighter, and was a great cruiserweight Champion 'but as a Heavyweight Champion, he did not clear out the divisions as the era was already in its conclusive stages when he opportunistically entered the divisions'.

The Heavyweight Divisions had already been cleared out in combination by Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder etc.

[gilgamesh]

I don't think anybody ever said he was better than Ali or Sugar Ray Robinson bud.

Ali did in fact get stripped of his WBC Title for refusing to fight Ken Norton a 4th time. So I guess by your logic Ali must be a bum right?

The Politics of Boxing is nonsense in my opinion. There shouldn't be more than 1 World Championship belt to begin with. If they're trying to force you to fight a mandatory rather than a bigger fight that's out there for you, to me the smart career move is to take the bigger fight that's going to make you more money. That's ultimately what people compete in this sport for.

Usyk is the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion, and will retire as such unless somebody beats him. I wouldn't imagine his status could possibly go much higher from here just because he doesn't have enough career left in front of him to raise his legacy too much further.

[Eolaithe]

Continually vacate titles? You say that as if he's done it more than once. He's never vacated any of his Heavyweight belts up to now.

Oleksandr Usyk has repeatedly given up his heavyweight belts to pursue the fights he prefers.

In June 2024, he vacated the IBF title to chase a Tyson Fury rematch instead of facing mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.

In November 2025, he surrendered the WBO belt after declining a mandatory bout with Fabio Wardley, choosing to fight one‑fight novice Rico Verhoeven instead.

Two days ago, he vacated the WBA and WBC titles as well, opting for a Deontay Wilder fight rather than mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel — and likely avoiding Murat Gassiev down the line.

He's already beaten Gassiev. He beat Dubois twice. I'm pretty sure the Tyson Fury rematch was contractually obliged.

I think the moves he's making generally are the right ones.

I don't disagree with any of Oleksandr Usyk's career decisions.

In reality, few fighters in his position would have chosen differently.

However, he has vacated world titles on multiple occasions.

That's simply the reality for elite stars like Usyk, Fury and Joshua, whose statuses in the sport are more meaningful than the belts themselves.

To most fans, their legacy and status matter far more than which governing body titles they choose to hold.

[Eolaithe]

Continually vacate titles? You say that as if he's done it more than once. He's never vacated any of his Heavyweight belts up to now.

Oleksandr Usyk has repeatedly given up his heavyweight belts to pursue the fights he prefers.

In June 2024, he vacated the IBF title to chase a Tyson Fury rematch instead of facing mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.

In November 2025, he surrendered the WBO belt after declining a mandatory bout with Fabio Wardley, choosing to fight one‑fight novice Rico Verhoeven instead.

Two days ago, he vacated the WBA and WBC titles as well, opting for a Deontay Wilder fight rather than mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel — and likely avoiding Murat Gassiev down the line.

Usyk is avoiding Gassiev?

Usyk is “avoiding” being dictated to by boxing’s governing bodies, because keeping his titles means that he’ll be forced to accept bouts against opponents providing “small” paydays, rather than engaging in “big fights”, such as his most recent outing against Rico Verhoeven.

The point behind my previous post you quoted is to make it clear that Oleksandr Usyk has voluntarily relinquished his titles multiple times. That’s a simple fact of reality… it definitely happened.

[gregregegg]

It’s going to be a mess. Should be a wonderfull time though if gov body’s make clear decisive calls quickly…

Wbo stays the same. Easy.

Wbc should be a strait elevate situation, easy.

Side note wbo and wbc should unify…

WBA is tricky… gassieve dosent deserve to be elevated, so do you call the fight vs Moses? But what Moses is doing other stuff with ibf? Tricky. For simplicity’s sake I would just elevate gassieve and delete the regular belt forever.

Ibf, the trickiest. You have 2/3 booked to fight soon, it’s dodgy cause it kinda skips 1….but the , I think you make Moses vs hrg for the title Sanchez mando (but with the big bit of the split or 50:50 to make up for him being skipped)…

[Eolaithe]

World heavyweight boxing is about to encounter a couple of years where the championship will be fragmented and the various alphabet "titles" being held by “weak” champions (reminiscent of 1986: Trevor Berbick, Tim Witherspoon and Michael Spinks; and 2004-2006: Vitali Klitschko, John Ruiz, Chris Byrd, Lamon Brewster and Sergei Liakhovich).

[gilgamesh]

With Zuffa trying to take over the Sport, and other Promoters trying to keep that from happening I wouldn't be surprised to see the titles stay fragmented a while as well since having a Heavyweight Champion will be leverage in a Power struggle for who controls the sport at the highest level.

[SportsRatings]

Continually vacate titles? You say that as if he's done it more than once. He's never vacated any of his Heavyweight belts up to now.

Oleksandr Usyk has repeatedly given up his heavyweight belts to pursue the fights he prefers.

In June 2024, he vacated the IBF title to chase a Tyson Fury rematch instead of facing mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.

In November 2025, he surrendered the WBO belt after declining a mandatory bout with Fabio Wardley, choosing to fight one‑fight novice Rico Verhoeven instead.

Two days ago, he vacated the WBA and WBC titles as well, opting for a Deontay Wilder fight rather than mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel — and likely avoiding Murat Gassiev down the line.

Usyk is avoiding Gassiev?

Mauro Di Fiore 119-109 Robin Taylor 120-108 Philippe Verbeke 119-109

He doesn't want that smoke again. He might lose another round!

[Finkel]

It’s going to be a mess. Should be a wonderfull time though if gov body’s make clear decisive calls quickly…

Wbo stays the same. Easy.

Wbc should be a strait elevate situation, easy.

Side note wbo and wbc should unify…

WBA is tricky… gassieve dosent deserve to be elevated, so do you call the fight vs Moses? But what Moses is doing other stuff with ibf? Tricky. For simplicity’s sake I would just elevate gassieve and delete the regular belt forever.

Ibf, the trickiest. You have 2/3 booked to fight soon, it’s dodgy cause it kinda skips 1….but the , I think you make Moses vs hrg for the title Sanchez mando (but with the big bit of the split or 50:50 to make up for him being skipped)…

TLDR: The WBA rules are a word salad, but right now Gassiev is their "sole champion in the division" (rule c.23)

Quick thing about Gassiev and the WBA. He doesn't actually need to be elevated.

The Super Champion status (since it was first awarded to Lennox Lewis) was given to the belt holder once they unified with another org. At which point their "regular" title became free and acted as a defacto interim belt. That has changed somewhat and how one becomes super is a bit vague. Though now the Super designation can also signify you have made 5-10 defences of the title.

WBA muddied the waters so much though, even Gassiev doesn't realise he is their champion (unless the WBA are about to screw Gassiev over). When Wardley was interim champion, he would have been mandatory to Gassiev, not Usyk. The regular belt holder (Dubois) being the previous mandatory (to Usyk). As you mention there was pressure on the WBA to remove the Regular champions IF they had a Super champion. They started that process, but legal disputes in the Heavyweight division forced them to bring that belt back... Which Gassiev now holds.

All that is to say, going by their own rules, without a Super champion. Gassiev is their champion (regular or otherwise). There is no one above him. They don't need to elevate him, as there is no where to elevate him to. Not unless he unifies or makes 5+ defences.

Now again, this is what should happen. But who knows really, the WBA may pull some bullshit and try to attach their "super" championship to Joshua v Fury. But right now, Gassiev is the WBA champion until they tell us differently.



...Maybe Zuffa taking over wouldn't be such a bad thing

[gp.]

I mean, everybody knows that all the alphabet organisations always declare the most worthy challengers, with no regard for their own financial benefit, right? So ignoring their wishes, even if they want you to fight four different people at once, is obviously not behaving like a true champion, right?

Right?

[gp.]

Continually vacate titles? You say that as if he's done it more than once. He's never vacated any of his Heavyweight belts up to now.

Oleksandr Usyk has repeatedly given up his heavyweight belts to pursue the fights he prefers.

In June 2024, he vacated the IBF title to chase a Tyson Fury rematch instead of facing mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.

In November 2025, he surrendered the WBO belt after declining a mandatory bout with Fabio Wardley, choosing to fight one‑fight novice Rico Verhoeven instead.

Two days ago, he vacated the WBA and WBC titles as well, opting for a Deontay Wilder fight rather than mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel — and likely avoiding Murat Gassiev down the line.

Usyk is avoiding Gassiev?

He might be - maybe he owes him money or something.