Oleksandr Usyk stripped of world title after beating Tyson Fury - and it will be up for grabs in huge all-British showdown

Oleksandr Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine -Credit:Anadolu via Getty Images


Undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk is set to lose one of his belts before he even steps foot inside the ring again.

The 37-year-old Ukrainian triumphed over Tyson Fury in a blockbuster clash for all the gold in the heavyweight division in Saudi Arabia, winning via split decision after judges scored the thrilling bout 115-112, 113-114, 114-113.

However, despite his current victory, Usyk will soon be stripped of the IBF title as Filip Hrgovic, the long-time mandatory challenger, will not wait for a contracted rematch with Fury to take place. If all goes according to plan, Usyk and Fury are scheduled to meet again in October, with Fury seeking revenge. However, the IBF title will be vacated and then up for grabs when Hrgovic meets Daniel Dubois in June.

The victor of that match will then face Anthony Joshua at Wembley in September - just before Usyk and Fury are due to battle it out once more. It remains uncertain whether the winner of the rematch, who will take home three belts instead of four, will then attempt to reclaim the IBF crown in their next move.

For now, Usyk is the man holding all the gold. But if his comments in his post-fight press conference are anything to go by, it seems highly unlikely he'll be losing any sleep once the IBF title is taken away from him in the coming weeks.

Usyk has been in camp longer than expected after the initial bout with Fury, scheduled for February 17, was cancelled after the Brit suffered a nasty cut above his eye in sparring.

Currently, Uysk's primary concern is spending quality time with his family, disregarding any immediate plans of returning to the boxing ring, despite contractual commitments.

Pressured by the media on a potential rematch, Uysk responded, "I don't think about boxing now, please." He continued: "My camp started in September 2023, I worked for nine months."

He further shared about what he missed: "I missed Happy New Year, I missed my son's birthday, I missed my other son's birthday, I missed my daughter's birthday and then the birth of my daughter." Describing his focus during this period, he said, "I also missed family holidays. I was only focused on this fight, now I'm happy and I want to go back home."