Overview
- Usyk announced on Friday, June 26, 2026, that he was vacating his WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles and that he will still take one final fight before retiring.
- The WBC moved quickly to promote interim champion Agit Kabayel to full champion after Usyk’s decision removed the scheduled mandatory defence against him.
- The WBA and IBF have begun processes to fill their vacated belts, with the IBF’s top contender Frank Sanchez and WBA-ranked fighters such as Murat Gassiev, Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic positioned as likely participants in title or eliminator fights.
- Usyk’s May 11th-round stoppage of Rico Verhoeven was widely described as controversial and has been cited in coverage as a factor that makes a curated farewell bout more likely than further mandatory defences.
- The move clears paths for multiple contenders — including Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley — to fight for new world titles and gives Usyk freedom to negotiate a single, high-profile non-title final event, with locations and an opponent still unconfirmed.