A heavyweight veteran has taken issue with the timing of Oleksandr Usyk’s decision to relinquish his titles, given that he could have fought for a vacant strap earlier this year.
While maintaining his status as the lineal heavyweight champion, Usyk chose to vacate his WBC, IBF and WBA belts towards the end of last month.
In doing so, the Ukrainian enabled Agit Kabayel and Murat Gassiev to respectively be upgraded to full WBC and WBA champions, while his old IBF title remains up for grabs.
But while allowing others to progress in the sport, Usyk has afforded himself just one more fight before calling time on a phenomenal career.
This news follows his 11th-round stoppage over Rico Verhoeven in May, when the two-division undisputed champion encountered a tougher-than-expected night’s work.
And with Usyk subsequently announcing that he has one fight left, many felt this decision was inspired by his difficulty in dispatching a former kickboxing champion.
Either way, the 39-year-old’s deliberation meant that Derek Chisora was unable to fight for a vacant IBF title when he faced Deontay Wilder in April.
According to Usyk, Chisora gave him the toughest fight of his career when they went the distance in 2020. ‘Del Boy’ ultimately lost via a hard-fought unanimous decision, with the judges’ scorecards reflecting a closely contested bout.
Speaking with Seconds Outthe 42-year-old explained that he had even attempted to pressure his former opponent into making a decision so he could have one last shot at a world title.
“Let’s not talk about that guy. Usyk p*ssed me off because I phoned his manager, I phoned him – even FaceTimed him – and he showed me his beautiful baby girl. He was at home with his family.
“I was like, ‘Bro, I’m fighting Deontay Wilder. Drop the IBF [title]. Do this for me as a friend’. [He said] ‘I’ll let you know’.
“F**king mug. He’s a c**t, that guy. We pressured him; we phoned him every day, and he didn’t play ball. Then, suddenly, he boxed a kickboxer [Verhoeven] and realised he’s not the same [fighter].
“That was selfish of him [to keep the belts].”
With Chisora losing a split decision to Wilderhe would have been unable to win the IBF title which, instead, is set to be contested by mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez in due course.
Tommy Morrison’s son Trey has revealed for the first time that he has “died twice” while putting past differences aside to support his brother Kenzie through his fight with stomach cancer.
Trey Lippe Morrison made the revelation while asking people to pray for Kenzie, one day after World Boxing News reported that the 36-year-old had been diagnosed with cancer and a GoFundMe had been set up to help with medical bills.
The two sons of former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison have had their differences over the years, something Trey acknowledged openly before making clear that none of it matters now.
“No 2 other people have had their differences like my brother and myself. F*** our differences!” Trey said.
“My brother Kenzie Morrison is in the fight of his life. I want him here! I love him.”
Trey Morrison ‘Died Twice’
Trey asked those praying for Kenzie to believe that his brother can recover before revealing something he had never previously made public.
“I’ve never shared this, but I’ve died twice, I’m still here, it didn’t matter how tough I was, it was all HIM,” he said.
Trey did not elaborate on when or under what circumstances those incidents occurred and has previously kept his personal health private.
The older sibling suffered serious injuries in a 2023 car wreck that left his boxing career in doubtwhile Kenzie’s own fighting career was interrupted by injuries and inactivity before his cancer diagnosis.
Both followed their famous father into boxing and displayed the considerable punching power associated with the Morrison namebut neither was able to build the momentum once expected.
Now, boxing has become secondary for both brothers.
Brothers Put Differences Aside
Kenzie revealed his stomach cancer diagnosis after spending around a month dealing with stomach and back problems.
In his latest update, Kenzie provided further information about his situation and the urgency surrounding his search for specialist treatment.
“It’s not too late, but we don’t got a lot of time,” Kenzie said.
For Trey, whatever differences existed between the brothers have now been pushed aside.
“I love you Kenzie, and I’ll be with you every step and breath of the way,” he said.
Trey also emphasized his faith throughout the message and asked others to share Kenzie’s fight as widely as possible.
“I truly believe he will do HIM and heal my brother,” Trey said of his belief in God.
“Share everything about my brothers fight, get the word out there, everybody BELIEVE!”
Amanda Westcott
The brothers may have taken different paths since following their famous father into boxing, but Trey’s message makes his priority clear.
He wants his brother here, and intends to be alongside him throughout the biggest fight of Kenzie’s life.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
Teofimo Lopez already has his next target in mind following his victory over Rolly Romero.
Lopez claimed the WBA welterweight title with a majority decision win over Romero at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, becoming a three-division world champion in the process.
Fans have already began to speculate over who Lopez may turn his attention to next, and it didn’t take ‘The Takeover’ long to make his intentions perfectly clear.
Speaking in his post-fight press conferenceLopez revealed that he is looking to face the winner of next month’s WBC welterweight title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn.
“September 12th you’ve got Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn. We’ll see what happens there, we’ll watch. Obviously Keith Connolly [Lopez’s manager] manages Conor Benn so if he wins it’s a great fight to take across the pond, and I’m rooting for it anyway.”
Lopez also admitted he could be interested in a battle with IBF champion Liam Paro, but explained why he wouldn’t want to take on WBO champion Devin Haney just yet.
“I’d rather wait for Devin at the end, and the only reason why is to reclaim the whole situation with undisputed, not undisputed. We’ll see what Devin does on that end, so it’ll either be Liam Paro next or the winner of Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn.”
Lopez is referring to when he campaigned at lightweight and insisted he was undisputed champion following his win over Vasiliy Lomachenko, only for Haney to be recognised as the legitimate WBC titleholder, meaning there is plenty of history between the pair.
Teofimo Lopez defeated Rolly Romero to win the WBA welterweight title on Saturday and now Shakur Stevenson has shared his reaction.
Lopez appeared to be in control for the majority of the bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, though the scorecards had it much closer than people expected, with ‘The Takeover’ only getting the nod by majority decision after scores of 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112.
Romero did have a successful fifth round where he was able to rock Lopezbut other than that he failed to get any real foothold in the fight, as he lost his WBA crown and Lopez claimed world honours in a third division after previous reigns at 135lbs and 140lbs.
It was back in January when his time as WBO super-lightweight champion came to an end, suffering a one-sided unanimous decision defeat to the aforementioned Stevenson at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Stevenson has now posted on social media with his verdict on the win from ‘The Takeover’, praising his former rival for becoming world champion in his first bout at 147lbs.
“Yea Teofimo 3 division champ that’s 🔥”
Stevenson also paid tribute to Romero, saying he had ‘respect’ for the former champion for taking on anyone.
“Respect to Rolly a champion who will fight anybody Respect champ!!!”
Respect to Rolly a champion who will fight anybody Respect champ!!!
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) August 23, 2026
Lopez now may look towards potential unification fights at 147lbs following his victory, with the winner of next month’s WBC title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn a possible option, along with battles against WBO champion Devin Haney or IBF champion Liam Paro.