Usyk vacates world titles but vows 'last dance' still to come

Oleksandr Usyk will vacate all his world heavyweight titles to clear the path for mandatory challengers, but the unified champion insists he is not retiring from boxing.

“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.”

— Oleksandr Usyk, via Sky Sports

What Oleksandr Usyk said

Usyk holds multiple world heavyweight belts after back-to-back wins over Tyson Fury. His decision opens the door for contenders waiting in sanctioning queues, though the Ukrainian has not named a timeline for his own return or which opponent would constitute his final fight.

What it moves

Usyk's announcement leaves the heavyweight landscape wide open, with several fighters now positioned to contest vacant titles. The champion's cryptic reference to a last dance suggests one more bout before retirement, though he gave no indication of when or against whom that fight would take place.

Source: skysports.com. Full Oleksandr Usyk fight history and recent news at boxingnews.com.