Usyk vacates belts but is not retiring

Oleksandr Usyk vacated his heavyweight world championship titles on March 18, 2024, but stated he is not retiring from boxing. The Ukrainian boxer made the announcement via a video posted to Instagram, explaining his decision was due to his upcoming military service. Usyk currently holds the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles. He had been expected to face Tyson Fury in a rematch after their undisputed title fight on May 18, 2024. The decision to vacate the belts means the heavyweight division will now have multiple champions, potentially leading to new matchups for the vacant titles. Usyk expressed his intention to return to boxing after fulfilling his military obligations.