[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header-nav":3,"footer-nav":29,"article-usyk-one-last-dance-retirement-boxing":82,"category-counts-nav":98,"related-usyk-one-last-dance-retirement-boxing":108},[4,8,11,14,17,20,23,26],{"label":5,"to":6,"exact":7},"Home","\u002F",true,{"label":9,"to":10},"World Cup","\u002Fworldcup",{"label":12,"to":13},"Standings","\u002Fstandings",{"label":15,"to":16},"Football","\u002Fcategory\u002Ffootball",{"label":18,"to":19},"Basketball","\u002Fcategory\u002Fbasketball",{"label":21,"to":22},"Tennis","\u002Fcategory\u002Ftennis",{"label":24,"to":25},"F1","\u002Fcategory\u002Ff1",{"label":27,"to":28},"Long Reads","\u002Fcategory\u002Flong-reads",{"brand":30,"columns":32,"tagline":80,"copyright":81},{"description":31},"In-depth sports journalism covering football, basketball, tennis, F1, and beyond. Daily analysis, long reads, and expert opinion.",[33,51,59],{"heading":34,"links":35},"Leagues",[36,39,42,45,48],{"label":37,"to":38},"Premier League","\u002Ftag\u002Fpremier-league",{"label":40,"to":41},"La Liga","\u002Ftag\u002Fla-liga",{"label":43,"to":44},"NBA","\u002Ftag\u002Fnba",{"label":46,"to":47},"Formula 1","\u002Ftag\u002Fformula-1",{"label":49,"to":50},"Champions League","\u002Ftag\u002Fchampions-league",{"heading":52,"links":53},"Content",[54,56,57],{"label":55,"to":16},"Analysis",{"label":27,"to":28},{"label":58,"to":16},"Data & Stats",{"heading":60,"links":61},"Company",[62,65,68,71,74,77],{"label":63,"to":64},"Terms of Service","\u002Fservice",{"label":66,"to":67},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy",{"label":69,"to":70},"Editorial Policy","\u002Feditorial",{"label":72,"to":73},"Contact Us","\u002Fcontact",{"label":75,"to":76},"About Us","\u002Fabout",{"label":78,"to":79},"Website Disclaimer","\u002Fdisclaimer","Built for the love of sport","© SportPulse. All rights reserved.",{"title":83,"slug":84,"category":85,"badge":86,"author":87,"excerpt":88,"date":89,"readTime":90,"image":91,"imageAlt":83,"tags":92,"body":96,"_path":97},"Usyk confirms he wants one final fight before retirement","usyk-one-last-dance-retirement-boxing","long-reads","Long Reads: Feature","Marcus Wright","Former heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk tells the BBC he plans one more bout, then walks away for good.","2026-07-25 15:40:05","3 min read","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Fusyk-one-last-dance-retirement-boxing.webp",[93,94,95],"Boxing","Heavyweight","Oleksandr Usyk","## Usyk declares one more fight, then he is done\n\n**Oleksandr Usyk** has told BBC Sport he intends to fight exactly one more time before retiring from professional boxing. The former undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight champion used the phrase \"one more last dance\" to describe his plans and was emphatic: one bout, nothing more.\n\nThe announcement comes after a loss to **Tyson Fury** in their December rematch stripped Usyk of the WBA, WBO, and IBF belts he had unified months earlier. That second Fury fight ended a run in which Usyk had been the sport's most decorated active heavyweight.\n\n## From Olympic gold to undisputed at cruiserweight\n\nUsyk turned professional after winning Olympic gold at **London 2012** and swept through the cruiserweight division, collecting every major belt by stopping **Murat Gassiev** in the 2018 World Boxing Super Series final. He became the first undisputed cruiserweight champion of the four-belt era.\n\nMoving up to heavyweight, Usyk gave up significant size to nearly every opponent. He beat **Derek Chisora** on points in 2020, then outpointed **Anthony Joshua** at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September 2021 to claim the WBA, WBO, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles. The rematch in Jeddah the following year went the same way, Usyk winning a split decision.\n\nHis first fight with **Tyson Fury** in May 2024 was a split-decision victory that made him the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era. The December rematch went the other way, and Usyk left the ring without belts.\n\n## No opponent named, but the short list is obvious\n\nUsyk, 38, has fought professionally since 2013. He did not name an opponent or confirm a date. The options are limited but high-profile. A trilogy with **Fury** is the biggest commercial draw, though Fury has also hinted at retirement. A third fight with **Joshua** carries narrative weight, though Joshua's recent form has been uneven. A bout against a rising contender would let Usyk leave on a victory rather than a defeat.\n\n> \"One more last dance. That's it, no more,\" Usyk told the BBC.\n\nUsyk framed the decision as personal, not promotional. He is not chasing belts or paydays.\n\n## His camp expects a second-half-of-2025 date\n\nThose close to Usyk describe a fighter at peace with the decision. After the December loss to Fury, Usyk spent time with his family in Ukraine before making the announcement. His promoter **Alexander Krassyuk** has not commented publicly on potential opponents, but the expectation in boxing circles is that Usyk's final bout will land in the second half of 2025, likely in Saudi Arabia or the United Kingdom, where he has fought four of his last six contests.\n\n## One more fight won't change his place in history\n\nUsyk is one of very few fighters to have been undisputed champion at two weight classes. His heavyweight run, from Chisora to Joshua to Fury, was defined by precision, footwork, and wins over bigger men. One more fight changes nothing about that record. But Usyk wants to close his career on his own terms.","\u002Farticles\u002Fusyk-one-last-dance-retirement-boxing",[99,100,101,102,103,104,105,106,85,107],"analysis","basketball","cricket","f1","football","general","golf","mma","tennis",[109,123,131],{"id":110,"stem":110,"path":111,"title":112,"category":85,"badge":113,"badgeType":114,"author":115,"authorRole":116,"authorInitials":117,"date":118,"readTime":119,"image":120,"imageAlt":112,"tags":121,"excerpt":122},"midsummer-sports-feast-wimbledon-world-cup-cricket","\u002Farticles\u002Fmidsummer-sports-feast-wimbledon-world-cup-cricket","The Midsummer Collision: When Every Sport Demands Your Attention at Once","Feature","category","James Chen","Senior Football Analyst","JC","2026-07-02 07:51:42","7 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002Fce21\u002Flive\u002F30f3b950-75dc-11f1-a627-714adb4eed6e.png","Wimbledon, World Cup, Cricket, International Football, Tennis","Wimbledon, World Cup football, and peak cricket season collide in the most demanding week on the sporting calendar.",{"id":124,"stem":124,"path":125,"title":126,"category":85,"badge":15,"badgeType":114,"author":115,"authorRole":116,"authorInitials":117,"date":127,"readTime":119,"image":128,"imageAlt":126,"tags":129,"excerpt":130},"wales-mini-revival-southern-hemisphere-reckoning","\u002Farticles\u002Fwales-mini-revival-southern-hemisphere-reckoning","Wales Seek Redemption in Southern Hemisphere Tour","2026-07-06 12:21:18","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F7d97\u002Flive\u002F823f1850-7900-11f1-a627-714adb4eed6e.jpg","Rugby, Six Nations, Autumn Nations Series, Wales, Argentina, South Africa","Josh Adams believes Wales' mini-revival can erase November's southern hemisphere humiliation when they face Argentina and South Africa.",{"id":132,"stem":132,"path":133,"title":134,"category":85,"badge":15,"badgeType":114,"author":135,"authorRole":136,"authorInitials":137,"date":138,"readTime":139,"image":140,"imageAlt":134,"tags":141,"excerpt":142},"hrgovic-itauma-heavyweight-rivalry-heats-up","\u002Farticles\u002Fhrgovic-itauma-heavyweight-rivalry-heats-up","Hrgovic Erupts: Itauma Handed Everything on a Plate","Sarah Martinez","Transfer Correspondent","SM","2026-06-28 10:15:24","6 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F7244\u002Flive\u002F989a06f0-6e56-11f1-b9d0-a3be33cbfa13.jpg","Heavyweight Boxing, WBO, IBF","Filip Hrgovic unleashed a furious tirade against Moses Itauma, accusing the prodigy of enjoying a gilded path to heavyweight stardom."]