Alexander Usyk has announced he is vacating all of his championship titles and will compete in a farewell bout. Usyk described the decision as well thought-out, expressing respect for all organisations involved.
Oleksandr Usyk has announced he is vacating all of his championship titles and will close out his professional career with a farewell bout, the Ukrainian heavyweight legend confirmed on June 26, 2026.
Usyk, 39, finishes his career with a flawless 24-0-0 record, having never suffered a professional defeat. Standing six-foot-three with a 78-inch reach, the southpaw from Ukraine trained out of the Ready To Fight camp and built one of the most technically refined résumés in boxing history. Known as "The Cat," he described the decision to relinquish his belts as well thought-out, and expressed respect for all the sanctioning organisations involved.
Why it matters
- An unblemished 24-0-0 record makes Usyk one of the rare elite champions to retire without a loss on his ledger.
- Vacating simultaneously across multiple organisations opens championship lineages in the heavyweight division, setting off a chain of title implications at the top of the sport.
- The farewell bout gives Usyk the opportunity to exit on his own terms, a send-off that few fighters at his level have managed to arrange.
The announcement marks the beginning of the end of an era for a fighter widely regarded as one of the finest heavyweights of his generation. The identity of his farewell opponent and the specific belts being vacated were not disclosed in the announcement.
