Analysis: Four belts, three champions — the heavyweight title picture after Usyk
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| WBC | Agit Kabayel (elevated Jun 27, 2026) |
| WBO | Daniel Dubois (won May 9; retained Oct 17) |
| IBF | Filip Hrgovic (won Aug 29) |
| WBA | Not settled |
| Last undisputed champion | Oleksandr Usyk (vacated 2025–26) |
For most of 2024 and 2025, heavyweight boxing had the clearest answer in the sport to the question “who is the champion?” Oleksandr Usyk held every belt that mattered. Sixteen months later the answer depends on which sanctioning body you ask, and the four major titles are held — or not held — by four different situations.
This is not unusual. Undisputed reigns almost always end with the belts being split, because each sanctioning body orders its own mandatory challengers and no champion can satisfy all four for long. What matters is how quickly the division can put itself back together.
Who holds what
| Belt | Champion | How he got it | Last fight |
|---|---|---|---|
| WBC | Agit Kabayel | Elevated from interim after Usyk vacated | TKO 3 vs. Damian Knyba, Jan 10, 2026 |
| WBO | Daniel Dubois | TKO 11 vs. Fabio Wardley | TKO 2 vs. Wardley, Oct 17, 2026 |
| IBF | Filip Hrgovic | TKO 9 vs. Moses Itauma (vacant) | Same, Aug 29, 2026 |
| WBA | — | Vacated by Usyk, Jun 26, 2026 | — |
Who is the best of them?
On current form, Daniel Dubois. He has beaten Fabio Wardley twice in five months, the second time inside two rounds, and his record in title fights since 2024 includes a knockout of Anthony Joshua at Wembley. His only loss in that period came against Usyk.
Filip Hrgovic has the most interesting case. His only professional defeat was a 2024 stoppage on cuts against Dubois, and his win over Moses Itauma — surviving a knockdown to stop a 21-year-old who had never been past six rounds — showed exactly the kind of experience Dubois has had to learn. Agit Kabayel is unbeaten and dangerous, but he has not fought since January, and an elevated champion who does not defend loses relevance quickly.
| Dubois | Hrgovic | Kabayel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record (as reported) | 24-3 | 22-1 | Unbeaten |
| Best 2026 win | Wardley (twice) | Itauma | Knyba |
| Head-to-head | Beat Hrgovic (2024, cuts) | Lost to Dubois (2024, cuts) | — |
| Active? | Yes — fought Oct 17 | Yes — fought Aug 29 | No fight since Jan 10 |
What should happen next
1. Dubois vs. Hrgovic II for the WBO and IBF titles. It is the most logical fight in the division: two active champions and a first fight that ended inconclusively. Hrgovic called for it ringside on October 17; Dubois said he wants his old IBF belt back. Promoter Frank Warren’s suggestion that Hrgovic face Frank Sanchez first is understandable commercially but would delay the division’s reunification by six months or more.
2. Kabayel must fight. The WBC’s 64th convention in Acapulco in November should order Kabayel’s next defense. Whoever he faces, an active WBC champion is a precondition for any future undisputed fight.
3. The WBA has to choose. With its ‘Regular’ title held by Murat Gassiev at the time Usyk vacated, the WBA’s decision on a full champion will determine whether a four-belt fight is possible in 2027.
Our verdict
Fragmented belts are bad for casual fans, who reasonably want to know who the champion is. But this fragmentation has produced the best heavyweight year since 2024: Dubois–Wardley twice, Hrgovic–Itauma, and a genuine contest for the right to call oneself the best. The danger is the familiar one — that the politics of four sanctioning bodies keep the right fights from being made.
Our view: if Dubois and Hrgovic meet in the first half of 2027 and the winner fights Kabayel by the end of the year, heavyweight boxing could have an undisputed champion again within 18 months. If not, Usyk’s reign may be the last time the division had one for a long time.
— John Miller, Editor-in-Chief