Oleksandr Usyk is no longer the heavyweight champion of the world. The brilliant Ukrainian took to social media on Friday to confirm that he would be vacating all of his titles, including the WBA ‘super’, Ring Magazine, WBC and IBF belts.

Explaining the motivation behind his decision, Usyk declared:

“I want to vacate all the belts that I currently hold to make them available for the guys next in line to fight for them.”

Oleksandr Usyk Set to Retire After ‘One Last Dance’

After making the announcement, Usyk revealed that he would be having one more fight, which he referred to as “my last dance.” No opponent has yet been announced, but it is clear that the undefeated 25-0 wizard will not be competing for much longer.

One person who will be pleased to learn of Usyk’s plans is former super middleweight world champion George Groves. Just hours prior to the shock announcement, GIVEMESPORT spoke exclusively to ‘The Saint’, in association with MrQ.

Groves praised Usyk for his “exceptional” career, before explaining why he was keen to see the two-weight undisputed world champion wind down the in-ring chapter of his life.

“I think Usyk has been exceptional his entire career and what I would hate to happen to him is to have his legacy tainted by a loss or a subpar performance at this stage of his career because he’s no longer motivated, or he’s no longer able to perform at the levels that he once had.”

Groves also expressed his lack of desire to see Usyk go back over old ground, including potential rematches with Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois.

“I think if Usyk retires tomorrow, I’d have no complaints about that,” stated Groves. “I think he’s had a fantastic career.

At 39 years old, decline is almost inevitable, even for a fighter as accomplished as Usyk. The now-former champion was considered lucky by most to have avoided a loss to kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven last month, despite securing an 11th round stoppage.

Oleksandr Usyk Urged to Avoid One Fighter Before Retiring From Boxing

Groves pointed out that he would be sad to see the Ukrainian lose his unbeaten record to an up-and-coming prospect, purely because age had taken its toll on him.

“If it is a Moses Itauma in a year or so’s time, then I think Usyk probably gets beat. So if that’s the case, he should probably retire before facing someone like that.

No details have yet been made public over who will succeed Usyk as champion for any of the three governing bodies he held belts with. However, it is widely expected that top-ranked contender Agit Kabayel will be promoted to full champion status by the WBC.

Regardless of who takes over from him at the top of the division, they will have some legendary shoes to fill.

Despite crashing out of the World Cup spectacularly once again, Turkiye have been crowned “Unofficial World Champions” following a 3-2 win over dark horse hosts the USA on Friday night.

It proved to be the Eurasian country’s only victory this summer, despite the fact they head into every tournament with a reputation as an emerging force. Arda Guler – one of the best young players in world football – is joined by the likes of Kenan Yildiz, Hakan Calhanoglu, and Ferdi Kadioglu in a squad brimming at the seams with talent.

Still, if Vincenzo Montella’s side were going to beat anyone, then doing it against the USA proved to be a pretty interesting way to open their account. A win over the Stars and Stripes, who had rotated after securing qualification into the Round of 32 early, has given Turkiye an unusual world title.

Why Turkiye Are Now ‘Unofficial World Champions’

Corine Solberg/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

The Unofficial Football World Championships (UFWC) is a tongue-in-cheek alternative way of identifying the world’s top international team. Rather than relying on tournaments or rankings, it follows a simple “winner stays champion” format, similar to the title lineages seen in boxing and other combat sports.

The concept was popularised by Scotland fans and sections of the media, who jokingly claimed that because the Tartan Army had beaten England in a British Home Championship match on 15 April 1967 – the Three Lions’ first defeat after winning the 1966 World Cup – they were the new “world champions”.

What began as a light-hearted idea has since developed into a long-running football tradition. Turkiye became the latest holders on Friday night after defeating the USA, who had previously taken the title from Australia. Tracing the chain back further leads through Kosovo, Sweden, Algeria, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Uruguay before eventually reaching 2022 World Cup winners Argentina.

An entire Wikipedia page is now dedicated to tracking the unusual honour, and the all-time rankings make for a fascinating read, packed with unlikely champions, winding title reigns and plenty of underdog stories.

Unofficial World Championships’ All-Time Rankings

Given that Brazil have won more World Cups than any other nation with five, while Germany, Argentina and Italy are not far behind, you might expect those traditional powerhouses to dominate the rankings for most matches spent as champions in this unconventional format. Surprisingly, that isn’t the case.

It appears that official world champions often struggle to maintain their grip on the crown after reaching the summit of the game. Brazil’s position in seventh place is a good example of that trend. Instead, the nation that has spent the most matches as UFWC holders is Scotland.

Although they have not held the title since 2007, Scotland accumulated 149 matches as reigning champions during their various reigns – three more than England and 33 more than Argentina. The top 22 rankings can be seen below:

Other interesting findings include the fact North Korea have beaten the champions, before then holding the title for 16 matches. Lower down in the list, below the 22 mark, other surprising names feature, such as Angola, Northern Ireland, Liberia, and Curacao – the latter having made history this summer by becoming the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup finals.

Iran captain Mehdi Taremi’s stunning claims about FIFA and the United States have gone viral following Team Melli’s 1-1 draw with Egypt on Friday night. The result brought Iran’s 2026 World Cup campaign to a possible end, with three draws – against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt – leaving them just short of the knockout stages, waiting to see if they can go through as one of the best third-placed sides.

An unbeaten tournament is still an achievement Iran can take pride in, particularly given the constant challenges they have faced both on and off the pitch. Geopolitical tensions have undoubtedly contributed to the emotional strain on players and staff, many of whom left behind a homeland caught up in conflict involving the United States and Israel.

Logistical issues also added to their burden. Due to Donald Trump’s strict visa policies, Iran were required to travel more than any other team during the group stage, only being permitted to enter the US the night before matches then immediately returning to their training base in Mexico afterwards.

Mehdi Taremi Doesn’t Hold Back in Attack on FIFA and the USA

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Despite those obstacles, and repeated boos during the national anthem before matches, Iran have largely carried themselves with dignity throughout the tournament. The squad even left thank-you notes at each of their last two venues in a gesture of appreciation towards their hosts.

Taremi, however, was not prepared to keep his real emotions bottled up. Following Iran’s opening draw against New Zealand, the former Inter Milan star branded the World Cup a ‘disaster’ and he reiterated those claims on Friday before slamming FIFA for ‘doing nothing’ to help his team.

As per the Daily Mail, head coach Amir Ghalenoei said the USA’s “behavior towards us has been really terrible, and we hope the world will be aware of that.”

During an astonishing press conference in Seattle, Taremi was asked whether he felt World Cup organisers – including FIFA and the US authorities – would prefer Iran to be knocked out. “We have to fight against everything here. I don’t know if people want [that] or not but as we see it by our perspective, yeah, they are like that I think,” he said.

How Iran Can Still Qualify For Knockout Stages

Daniel Cole via Reuters

Iran thought they had secured a spot in the round of 32 when defender Shoja Khalilzadeh fired home in stoppage time against Egypt.

But after a long VAR check, the goal was eventually ruled out for offside. Moments later, a header from Iran midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi hit the bar.

The 1-1 draw means Belgium and Egypt qualify automatically from Group G. Iran are odds on to join them as one the top eight third-place teams, but they must now wait to see if other results go their way. “I feel sad, but we have hope,” said Taremi, who complained once again that Iran’s players have to head back to Tijuana after the game.

“We always do our best. We play for our people. We want them to be happy because we want to bring the joy,” he added. “We want to send a message of peace for the people in Iran, outside of Iran, for FIFA, for everyone. But there is no peace about the others to us.”