“Unreal”: Oleksandr Usyk Leaves Fans Divided With “Perfect Set Up for Fury vs. Joshua” as He Vacates IBF Title

It was quite a short reign for Oleksandr Usyk as the undisputed champion. In just about five weeks after his crowning, he has to vacate the IBF heavyweight title. What happened is that Tyson Fury has invoked the rematch clause, and they are both set to run it back again on December 21, 2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In the meantime, IBF had ordered Usyk to face the Interim World Heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois or relinquish the title. Dubois jumped to the start of the queue to claim the IBF title after he defeated the mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic in a title eliminator fight at the 5  vs 5 event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Now, with Usyk out of the equation, the former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will face fellow compatriot Dubois for the vacant IBF title on Sept. 21 at London’s Wembley Stadium.

A two-fight deal signed with Fury means that Ysyk’s hands are tied, and he can’t defend his IBF belt in time due to contractual obligations. Previously, Usyk had requested an exception from the IBF, so that he could hold on to the belt and give Fury another shot at becoming undisputed. With the request denied, he took to Instagram to convey his decision to not hold onto the belt any longer, and wish the upcoming contenders fighting for the title the best of luck.

After 24 years, the heavyweight division had its first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis. On May 18, Usyk defeated the ‘Gypsy King’ in a hard-fought battle to get the split decision victory and secure undisputed status. But in just five weeks, IBF has denied Usyk the right to call himself undisputed, Nonetheless, there was no bitterness involved as Usyk seemed cheerful as he announced his decision to vacate the IBF title.

He posted a video message on Instagram where he said, “Anthony and Daniel, listen – I know the IBF title is important to you. It is my present to you for September 21″. Now, Usyk is left with IBO, WBA, WBC, and  WBO world heavyweight titles, confirming that his fight with Fury will be for the unified heavyweight title, and not undisputed.

It is quite the present indeed as Anthony Joshua would have the chance to become a three-time heavyweight champion after losing his titles to Andy Ruiz and Oleksandr Usyk respectively. Since his comeback, following two losses on the trot to Usyk, Joshua has been on a roll. He has won three out of his last four fights by knockouts. With Tyson Fury’s former trainer Ben Davison training him, he is looking sharper than ever.

In his last fight against Ngannou, Anthony Joshua looked devastating as he knocked the former UFC champion out cold in round two, a feat that even the former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury could not achieve. On the other hand, the IBF interim heavyweight champion Dubois’ last loss was also against Usyk. Since then, he has delivered knockout blows to both his opponents Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic to find himself in the pole position again to become a heavyweight champion.

Title relinquishment sets the heavyweight division buzzing again!

With Usyk giving up his IBF title, it opens up doors for other elite boxers in the heavyweight division a chance to become champions. Many exciting matchups can also be anticipated, as fans rightly pointed out. One boxing fanatic enthusiastically stated that if Fury beats the unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and Joshua beats Dubois, a much-anticipated all-British heavyweight clash between Fury and Joshua, which has been in talks for quite a long time could finally happen.

Another fan pointed out that Fury has ‘zero’ chance to become undisputed. However, the statement is not completely true. Although he may not have the chance to become undisputed in his next fight, he may have it in his upcoming fights provided he beats Usyk in the rematch.

Meanwhile, another fan seemed elated that Anthony Joshua will have the chance to become the world champion for the third time. To do that, he has to beat Daniel Dubois on Sept. 21  at the iconic Wembley Stadium.

One fan thought out a hypothetical scenario after Usyk relinquished his IBF title. He proceeded to make an audacious claim: what if he becomes the undisputed champion for the second time by getting his title back?

Another fan expressed their frustration over the fact that Usyk had to give up his title so early into his reign as an undisputed champion. Unlike the UFC, boxing has many belts and there can be multiple world champions in one weight division. Therefore, it can be very hard to decide who is the best in each division.

One fan praised Usyk for relinquishing the title and letting other boxers get a shot at it.

Will Usyk reclaim his IBF title after the rematch with Fury? Or, will it be the end of the road for Usyk in the heavyweight division following his rematch with the ‘Gypsy King’? Let us know in the comment section below.