Heavyweight legend Oleksandr Usyk announced Friday he’s vacating his three title belts ahead of his “last dance” in the ring. <\/p>\n
Usyk laid out his plans Friday on social media<\/a>. It’s unclear who he intends to fight next and whether this farewell is limited to one fight or multiple bouts.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, the now-former unified champion laid out<\/a> his plan to compete three more times. That included his eventual victory over Rico Verhoeven before turning to Daniel Dubois or Fabio Wardley and then ending with a third meeting against Tyson Fury.<\/p>\n Sergey Lapin, Usyk’s sporting director, said Friday the hope is for the 39-year-old to “finish his legendary career with his final fights in the United States,” per ESPN’s Andreas Hale<\/a>.<\/p>\n The fact Lapin said fights and not fight could be important.<\/p>\n Vacating the belts gives Usyk more freedom to map out his boxing swan song. He’s not beholden to any mandatory challengers<\/a>, a problem that was exacerbated by being a champion across multiple organizations.<\/p>\n Usyk carries a pro record of 25-0 and has wins against some of the best heavyweights going today. He twice outlasted Fury and Anthony Joshua respectively and scored a pair of knockouts over Dubois.<\/p>\n The decorated pugilist might be stepping away at the right time.<\/p>\n Usyk didn’t look great against Verhoeven and was pushed harder than he ever had been in the ring. It was a relatively shocking result given Verhoeven was boxing for just the second time as a pro. He built his reputation as a world-class kickboxer.<\/p>\n Maybe Usyk took the challenge a little too lightly, or the mileage could be adding up for him.<\/p>\n By committing to an exit strategy now, Usyk should avoid being another boxer who hangs on and experiences a disappointing end to a stellar career. <\/p>\n