Oleksandr Usyk vacates his heavyweight world titles

[pawel7777]

I think this big news deserves its own topic.
During the weekend, Oleksandr Usyk announced on his Instagram his decision to vacate all his heavyweight titles. He's not retiring just yet though, saying he intends to fight one last time (he referred to it as "one last dance").
https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12040/13558356/oleksandr-usyks-choice-to-vacate-his-championship-titles-explained-so-he-can-decide-final-chapter-for-himself

He wants his last fight to be done on his own conditions, rather than any of the mandatory title defences. So he decided to let his belts go so as not to block opportunities for other fighters.

This decision is likely to have significant consequences for the sport. One of the changes is Kabayel getting promoted to the new WBC heavyweight champion, as he held an interim belt.
The future of the WBA and the IBF belts is yet to be decided.

[Opiate32]

I think this is the right move, plus usual has nothing to left to prove at heavyweight and vacating the belts avoids holding up the division while he gets his final fight. It also creates opportunities for contenders who have been waiting for a title shot instead of sitting around for mandatory obligations to be sorted out. Well that’s better for boxing in the long run.

The bigger question now is whether the new champions can establish themselves or the division becomes fragmented again with multiple title holders.