Sand they needed 25 years for the heavyweight will have an undisputed champion. Since Lennox Lewis achieved it in 1999 There had not been a boxer who held the belts of the four main boxing organizations. Oleksandr Usyk (22-0; 14 KOs) took the baton after beating Tyson Fury by split decision (115-112 Usyk, 114-113 Fury, 114-113 Usyk) in a fight held in mid-May.
A quarter of a century of waiting and 38 days later there is no longer an undisputed champion. Usyk has vacated the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title. The IBF had requested that Usyk defend his belt against the mandatory rival, Daniel Dubois, but the Ukrainian boxer has agreed to a rematch with Fury, so he declines to fight with Dubois and, in this way, leaves the belt.
The Usyk’s decision sets in motion the possible fight between two Britons, Dubois and Anthony Joshua, next September 21 at Wembley. This is what Usyk himself has announced on his social networks: “Anthony and Daniel, listen, I know that the IBF title is important to you. My gift to you, on September 21.”
Usyk will rematch Fury on December 21 in Riyadh. This time there will not be four belts at stake. Only three, those of the World Boxing Council (WBC), the World Boxing Association (WBA) and the World Boxing Organization (WBO), so no one will be able to dispute that the Ukrainian has been the last unified heavyweight champion.
