Oleksandr Usyk, the newly-crowned undisputed world heavyweight champion, has announced that he will be vacating his IBF title. Just weeks after defeating Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia to claim the IBF, WBO, WBA, and WBC belts, the 37-year-old Ukrainian is unable to defend the IBF crown against mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois due to his contractual rematch with Fury.
As a result, Dubois, who is currently the interim champion, may now face Anthony Joshua in an all-British fight at Wembley in September for the vacant IBF title. Usyk made the announcement in a video shared on social media, stating that he wanted to give Anthony and Daniel the opportunity to fight for the prestigious title.
This decision makes Usyk the first heavyweight since Lennox Lewis in 1999 to unify all major heavyweight belts. The boxing world is now eagerly anticipating the outcome of the upcoming fights involving some of the sport’s biggest names in the quest for undisputed champion status.