Oleksandr Usyk has confirmed that his recent decision to drop the WBO heavyweight title is only temporary, providing clarity on his future after months of uncertainty following the move.
The 38-year-old Ukrainian relinquished the WBO belt weeks after his undisputed heavyweight title win over Daniel Dubois in July, a decision that removed him from a potential mandatory defence against Fabio Wardley and left questions surrounding his next bout.
Usyk addressed the situation while attending the WBC 2025 convention in Bangkok, Thailand, where he explained his decision publicly. “I’m happy to be here, listen, I have four belts, yes?” Usyk said. “Now, three. A lot of people say – ‘Hey, you’re not undisputed champion’, okay, it’s temporary, but I have four belts but my favourite it’s green color every time.”
Before any move to reclaim the WBO title, Usyk may be required to fulfil obligations with the IBF, which has offered a final eliminator contest to Jared Anderson and Frank Sanchez to determine a potential mandatory challenger.
Despite that development, both Anderson and Sanchez were recently seen training together in Jake Paul’s camp ahead of Paul’s scheduled bout with Anthony Joshua, raising further uncertainty around the immediate heavyweight title picture.
Usyk has been widely regarded as one of boxing’s top pound-for-pound fighters for several years following championship success across multiple weight classes, though earlier this year Terence Crawford overtook that distinction after securing the undisputed super middleweight title with a dominant win over Canelo Alvarez.
