Heavyweight boxing: What will happen to Oleksandr Usyk's world titles and will Moses Itauma take over the division?

Oleksandr Usyk has dominated the heavyweight scene in recent years. He established himself as the pre-eminent boxer in the division with victories over Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois.

While he has never lost a professional fight, he has now chosen to vacate all his remaining world titles.

It marks a turning point for heavyweight boxing, with new faces and new names now vying to challenge for belts.

The WBC has moved swiftly to anoint a new champion. Agit Kabayel, the German heavyweight, has been their Interim titlist since he knocked out Zhilei Zhang in February 2025. That made him the mandatory challenger for Usyk and he was due to box next for the full WBC championship.

With Usyk looking at other options and vacating the title, the WBC has elevated Kabayel and he is now their world heavyweight champion.

Kabayel has been cited as a potential fallback option for Tyson Fury if his fight with Anthony Joshua collapses. Fury is a former WBC world champion and is currently rated as the organisation's No 1 contender.

The IBF has not yet ordered a fight for its heavyweight title. Frank Sanchez is its highest-ranked contender and the Cuban's team fully expect him to be able to fight for the vacant belt.