Oleksandr Usyk Vacates 3 Heavyweight Boxing Titles Ahead of Expected Retirement Fight

Heavyweight legend Oleksandr Usyk announced Friday he's vacating his three title belts ahead of his "last dance" in the ring.

Usyk laid out his plans Friday on social media. It's unclear who he intends to fight next and whether this farewell is limited to one fight or multiple bouts.

Earlier this year, the now-former unified champion laid out his plan to compete three more times. That included his eventual victory over Rico Verhoeven before turning to Daniel Dubois or Fabio Wardley and then ending with a third meeting against Tyson Fury.

Sergey Lapin, Usyk's sporting director, said Friday the hope is for the 39-year-old to "finish his legendary career with his final fights in the United States," per ESPN's Andreas Hale.

The fact Lapin said fights and not fight could be important.

Vacating the belts gives Usyk more freedom to map out his boxing swan song. He's not beholden to any mandatory challengers, a problem that was exacerbated by being a champion across multiple organizations.

Usyk carries a pro record of 25-0 and has wins against some of the best heavyweights going today. He twice outlasted Fury and Anthony Joshua respectively and scored a pair of knockouts over Dubois.

The decorated pugilist might be stepping away at the right time.

Usyk didn't look great against Verhoeven and was pushed harder than he ever had been in the ring. It was a relatively shocking result given Verhoeven was boxing for just the second time as a pro. He built his reputation as a world-class kickboxer.

Maybe Usyk took the challenge a little too lightly, or the mileage could be adding up for him.

By committing to an exit strategy now, Usyk should avoid being another boxer who hangs on and experiences a disappointing end to a stellar career.