Dutch kickboxer and Glory heavyweight champion
Usyk has vacated the WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight belts to allow contenders to fight for them, a move that opens the division and sets the stage for new champions. Kabayel has become WBC champion, while Gassiev is poised to inherit the WBA title; IBF actions point toward Frank Sanchez or Moses Itauma as next contenders. The sport faces a reshuffle as Usyk pivots toward a final, high-stakes bout.
British heavyweight Moses Itauma will headline London’s O2 Arena on Aug. 29 for the vacant IBF heavyweight title, facing Filip Hrgovic. The title win would crown Itauma as the youngest world heavyweight champion since Mike Tyson. The bout is part of a broader heavyweight landscape shaped by Usyk’s vacating of belts and ongoing negotiations for future super-fights.
BBC Business reports that former UFC fighter Stephen Shore is promoting Stand and Bang, a stand-up-only combat event in Ebbw Vale, Wales, with 23 bouts in a 20-foot ring. The Independent covers Overeem’s boxing ambitions, while New York Post notes a Californians’ overconfidence in beating heavyweights.