Oleksandr Usyk has put his exit strategy in motion, revealing how many fights he has left to complete before calling time on an illustrious career.
The Ukrainian announced on Friday that he has vacated his WBC, IBF and WBA titles, but insists he will remain in the sport for a short while longer.
As a three-time, two-division undisputed champion, there is very little left to achieve and yet, somehow, Usyk remains hesitant to officially hang up the gloves.
Perhaps this is because there is still some unfinished business, or at least a desire to secure a more conclusive victory over Rico Verhoeven.
The former kickboxing champion gave a titanic effort when they collided last month, making a mockery of the pre-fight odds as he battled his way to the 11th-round.
This, in itself, was quite the achievement, given that Verhoeven’s only prior professional boxing match had resulted in a second-round finish over a 0-5 journeyman in 2014.
The Dutchman was then finally dropped by an Usyk uppercut, though, before being stopped on his feet by referee Mark Lyson after the bell to end round 11 had sounded.
Technically, this is not against the rules, but the controversy nonetheless inspired Verhoeven to launch an unsuccessful appeal to the Middle East Professional Boxing Commission.
A rematch with Usyk could still be on the table, however, with the 39-year-old insisting via social media that he will have just one last dance.
“Attention! Important update. I am vacating my unified WBA, IBF and WBC heavyweight world titles ahead of stepping into the ring for my final fight.”
Besides a Verhoeven rematch, it seems there is a lack of heavyweight opportunities that would make financial sense for Usyk, other than perhaps a previously mooted clash with Deontay Wilder, which promoter Eddie Hearn recently revealed is the leading option.
