It was fun while it lasted. Sadly, the world no longer has an undisputed heavyweight champion. In a video message released on Tuesday, Oleksandr Usyk announced that he was vacating the IBF heavyweight title, leaving him in possession of the WBA, WBC, and WBO heavyweight titles, impressive to be sure, but not the same as holding on to all four titles simultaneously. Usyk also made it clear that he feels the likely fight between former world multi-titlist Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois will decide who the next IBF heavyweight champ will be. That bout, which is believed to go down on the 21st of September, has yet to be signed.
"Hey @anthonyjoshua, @dynamite_daniel_dubois," Usyk posted. "The IBF Belt is my present for you for 21.09.2024 The world loves strong. Your friend, Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World, Oleksandr Usyk." The truth is that the IBF had ordered Usyk to face Dubois next. With a high profile rematch with Tyson Fury lined up for December, Usyk was left with little choice but to vacate the IBF belt. That's good news for Joshua and Dubois, of course, though not good news for those who want to have a regular undisputed heavyweight king.
Not that Joshua and Dubois aren't deserving of a title shot. Both men have fought Usyk, after all. And while both lost, it's worth remembering that Dubois nearly dropped - some say literally dropped - the skilled Ukrainian when the two men battled last year. As for Joshua, he's beaten every opponent he's ever faced aside from Usyk. Considering the fact that Joshua has fought 31 times, that record is quite impressive. On top of everything, fans are likely going to be quite curious to see how the Usyk-Fury rematch plays out when it goes down this December in Saudi Arabia.
The first bout between the two men went down in May. It was a see-saw affair, with one man dominating, then another. Usyk won the very close fight thanks to his ability to turn things around as the bout wound on. Still, it would have been close enough to warrant the rematch even if both men hadn't already signed for one (which they had). Although Usyk-Fury 2 will not be for the undisputed heavyweight title, it will be for the right to claim one fighter or another is the single best heavyweight on the planet. It's easy to understand why Usyk has vacated the IBF belt.