Oleksandr Usyk just walked away from three world titles on a random Friday. Not with a press conference. Not with a tearful farewell. Just a video statement in that quietly philosophical way of his: “I want to make them available so the guys who are next in line can fight for them.”
.jpg){kind=link}
And just like that, the heavyweight division — a weight class that’s been frozen behind Usyk’s undisputed reign for five years — is suddenly wide open.
If you’re a boxing fan like me, this is the most interesting the heavyweights have been since Fury-Wilder III. Let me walk you through what’s actually happening, because the landscape shifted faster than anyone expected.
The Belts: Where They’re All Headed
Usyk held the WBA (Super), WBC, and IBF titles. He’d already vacated the WBO last November — Fabio Wardley now holds that strap. The Ring Magazine belt stays with Usyk, which feels right. He never lost it in the ring.
Here’s what happens to the three vacated titles:
WBC: Agit Kabayel Steps Up
Kabayel (27-0) was already the interim champion after knocking out Zhilei Zhang in February 2025. He’s now elevated to full champion. The 33-year-old German — first German heavyweight champ since Max Schmeling in 1932 — carries a quiet confidence that borders on unsettling. His quote on the news? “I’ll fight with everyone.” Short. Direct. He means it.
WBA: Murat Gassiev — Full Circle
Remember Gassiev? Usyk beat him back in 2018 to unify the cruiserweight division. Now, eight years later, the Russian is expected to be elevated from WBA “regular” champion to full champion. Gassiev (32, with a 7-1 heavyweight record) fights Tony Yoka on July 11 in Moscow. If he wins, the WBA belt becomes his. There’s something almost poetic about Gassiev inheriting the title Usyk took from him — even if he never beats the man himself.
IBF: Sanchez vs. Itauma — Youth vs. Experience
The IBF has already ordered its No. 1 contender, Frank Sanchez (33, Cuba), to negotiate with Britain’s Moses Itauma (21). They have until July 29 to make the deal.
Itauma is the name to watch here. He’s 21 years old, a southpaw, and absolutely brutal in the ring — his knockout of Jermaine Franklin Jr. in March was the kind of performance that makes you sit forward in your chair. He’s also slated to fight Filip Hrgovic on August 29 in London, which suggests his team believes he can juggle mandatory obligations and stay busy.
Sanchez has fought once since February 2025. Talent-wise, he’s no slouch — but ring rust is real, and Itauma has momentum.
Fury, Joshua, and the Big One That’s Actually Happening
While the belts get sorted, the division’s two biggest commercial attractions are on parallel comeback trails — and their timelines have never been more synchronized.
Tyson Fury (37) fights Mariusz Wach on July 24 in Pattaya, Thailand. Wach is 46 years old with 39 wins and 20 KOs, but let’s be honest — this is a stay-busy fight. Fury called it “the start of a huge second half of the year.”
Twenty-four hours later, on July 25 in Jeddah, Anthony Joshua (36) faces Kristian Prenga — his first fight since the December 2024 car crash in Nigeria that killed two of his friends. The emotional weight of that return can’t be overstated. Joshua was ringside for Fury’s win over Makhmudov in April, and the two exchanged words that suggested the long-awaited all-British showdown is finally, actually happening.
Usyk’s camp has already ruled out a Fury trilogy. Sergey Lapin, Usyk’s sports director, told Sky Sports: “Oleksandr has already beaten Tyson Fury twice. I don’t really see much point in it.” That’s not trash talk. That’s just arithmetic.
Which means Fury-Joshua — a non-title fight that might be bigger than any title fight — is the heavyweight event of 2026. Assuming both win their tune-ups, of course.
Meanwhile, at 154: Ennis Just Changed the Pound-for-Pound Conversation
I already broke down Boots Ennis’s demolition of Xander Zayas in my weekend recap, (check out my pre-fight breakdown for the full style matchup analysis) but the rankings fallout is worth revisiting. Ennis jumped from No. 10 to No. 7 on CBS Sports’ pound-for-pound list after the win. That’s a three-spot leap that says: we finally saw what you’re capable of against elite competition.
The 36-0 Philly native with 32 KOs is now the unified 154-pound champion, and the path forward is clear — Vergil Ortiz Jr. That fight fell apart once over a legal dispute, but it’s the matchup that defines the division. Ennis at 154 is a problem for everyone. Stance-switching, relentless pressure, three knockdowns of a previously unbeaten champion. He’s not just winning. He’s making statements.
Quick Hits: What Else Is Moving
Canelo vs. Mbilli pushed to late October. The WBC super middleweight unification was originally slated for September. Ring Magazine reports it’s been moved back a month. No reason given, but Canelo at 36 doesn’t need to rush. Mbilli represents a dangerous style matchup — high volume, relentless pressure — and an extra month of preparation favors the younger man.
Bam Rodriguez sits at P4P #2. I made the case two weeks ago that Bam belongs higher, and the rankings are catching up. CBS Sports has him at No. 2 behind only Naoya Inoue. A 24-year-old, three-division champion with a 24-0 record. If you’re Filipino like me, you watch Bam and see echoes of the young Donaire — the footwork, the body punching, the composure beyond his years.
Mayweather-Zambidis exhibition canceled. Court documents filed last Thursday confirm the Greece exhibition fight is off. At this point, Mayweather exhibitions are less news and more background noise — but when a 50-0 legend cancels a fight through federal court filings, it’s worth noting.
Why This Week Matters
The heavyweight division hasn’t been this open since 2015, when Wladimir Klitschko’s decade-long reign ended. Three belts, three different trajectories, two parallel comeback stories, and one “last dance” from a Ukrainian who’s already done everything there is to do.
For Filipino boxing fans, the heavyweights have always felt like a foreign sport — we’ve never had a contender in the glamour division. Our heroes have always come in the lower weights: Pacquiao at 147 and below, Donaire at 118 and 122, Ancajas at 115. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pay attention. A wide-open heavyweight division means chaos, and chaos means great fights.
The next 90 days will reshape boxing. Fury-Wach. Joshua-Prenga. Gassiev-Yoka. Sanchez-Itauma negotiations. Canelo-Mbilli date confirmation. And somewhere in there, Usyk’s “last dance.”
Enjoy the ride. These are the weeks you remember.