For nearly five years, Oleksandr Usyk controlled the heavyweight division. He beat Anthony Joshua twice, defeated Tyson Fury twice, and left the sport’s biggest names with nothing. By winning every major belt in his path, he became the first male fighter to hold undisputed titles in two different weight classes during the four-belt era.
That dominance ended on Friday with a social media video. He announced he is vacating his WBC, WBA, and IBF heavyweight titles so top contenders can fight for them. While he plans to have one final fight, likely in the United States, the belts are gone.
Since the division is open for the first time in years, it is a million-dollar question now who will get those lucrative belts.
Here’s Every Oleksandr Usyk’s Belt and Who’s Getting It
Each boxing organization is handling the vacancy differently.
WBC: They acted immediately by promoting Agit Kabayel from interim to full heavyweight champion. Kabayel responded to the news on Instagram by thanking president Mauricio Sulaiman, officially starting his reign without needing a purse bid.
‼️ Agit Kabayel has now been officially elevated to become the WBC heavyweight world champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his titles.
Kabayel previously held the WBC ‘interim’ belt. pic.twitter.com/ILpk6GOkUh
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) June 27, 2026
WBO: This one is already settled. Although Fabio Wardley was elevated to the WBO throne after Usyk vacated the belt in late 2025, Daniel Dubois won the title from Wardley via an 11th-round stoppage in May 2026. Dubois remains the reigning WBO champion.
WBA: They upgraded secondary titleholder Murat Gassiev to full champion. He defends that status against Tony Yoka on July 11. Meanwhile, the August 29 fight between Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic might decide the vacant WBA “Super” title.
IBF: Frank Sanchez holds the IBF’s No. 1 ranking after a brutal second-round knockout of Richard Torrez Jr. in May. Unlike the WBC, the IBF has no interim titleholder to elevate, meaning Sanchez will have to win the vacant belt in the ring, potentially the winner of the Itauma-Hrgovic bout.
A Division Reset and What Comes Next for Oleksandr Usyk’s Vacated Heavyweight Throne
Usyk left on his own terms and was very clear about why. In his social media video, he said he wanted to make the titles available so the fighters next in line could finally compete for them. The announcement came roughly a month after Usyk’s toughest night as a heavyweight. Back in May, he had a scare against kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven.
He leaves the heavyweight top spot completely undefeated with a perfect 50-0 record. He was the first male fighter to become a two-weight undisputed champion in the four-belt era. Whoever wins those vacant belts will still have to go through him to be recognized as the true number one.
This completely resets the division for names that have been waiting years for their shot. Contenders like Fury, Joshua, Moses Itauma and Frank Sanchez are all suddenly chasing vacant titles. The long-awaited Joshua vs. Fury mega-fight is targeted for late 2026, and it could easily end up being for the vacant WBA title if the organization gets on board.
