Ukrainian boxer and world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has relinquished his WBO belt. The WBO announced this on its page on the social network X.
The organization noted that they had received an official notification from Usyk's team about the decision on the championship belt.
"Oleksandr Usyk has relinquished the WBO Heavyweight Championship. The WBO honors his historic career and calls this a respectful pause—not a farewell," the statement reads.
The President of the World Boxing Organization Gustavo Olivieri called the Ukrainian "the champion of champions" and expressed his admiration and gratitude to Usyk, the undefeated WBO world champion in two weight categories. According to him, the Ukrainian's career is one of the most outstanding in the modern history of boxing.
The organization itself said that it accepts and respects Oleksandr's decision to give up the WBO belt.
"This is not a farewell, but, as his team put it, a respectful pause. The doors of the WBO will always be open for Oleksandr Usyk and his team. His place in the history of the WBO and in the world heritage of boxing is forever cemented," the WBO said in a press release.
The WBO emphasized that Usyk personifies "excellence, discipline, honesty, patriotism," is a pride for the people of Ukraine and a true global boxing ambassador.
Photo: x/WorldBoxingOrg
Photo: x/WorldBoxingOrg
Photo: x/WorldBoxingOrg
The relinquishment of the title means that Usyk is no longer the absolute heavyweight champion of the world. He currently holds three major belts according to the IBF, WBA and WBC.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on July 19, Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk won early Daniel Dubois in a rematch at Wembley Stadium in London. The Ukrainian knocked out his opponent in the fifth round and became the absolute world heavyweight champion.
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