Oleksandr Usyk has been crowned the new undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, but it appears he may lose one of his titles before he even steps back into the ring.
The 37 year old Ukrainian triumphed over Tyson Fury in a thrilling match for all the heavyweight division’s gold in Saudi Arabia, winning by split decision with judges scoring the bout 115-112, 113-114, 114-113.
However, despite his current celebrations, Usyk is set to be stripped of the IBF title as Filip Hrgovic, the long-time mandatory challenger, will not wait for a contracted rematch with Fury to occur.
If all goes according to plan, Usyk and Fury are scheduled to face off again in October, with Fury seeking retribution. However, the IBF title will be vacated before then and will be up for grabs when Hrgovic takes on Daniel Dubois in June.
The victor of that fight will then challenge Anthony Joshua at Wembley in September, just weeks before Usyk and Fury are due to clash once more. It remains uncertain whether the winner of this rematch, who will walk away with three belts instead of four, will attempt to regain the IBF title in their next move, reports the Mirror.
For now, Usyk holds all the gold. But judging by his comments in the post-fight press conference, it seems unlikely he’ll lose any sleep over the impending loss of the IBF title.
Usyk has been training longer than anticipated due to the postponement of his original fight with Fury, set for 17 February, which was called off after the British boxer sustained a severe cut above his eye during sparring.
Presently, Usyk’s priority is to cherish moments with his family rather than setting any firm plans for a comeback to the ring, despite having contractual commitments.
“I don’t think about boxing now, please,” Uysk remarked to journalists when questioned about a potential rematch. “My camp started in September 2023, I worked for nine months.”
“I missed Happy New Year, I missed my son’s birthday, I missed my daughter’s birthday and then the birth of my daughter.”
“I also missed family holidays. I was only focused on this fight, now I’m happy and I want to go back home.”