Oleksandr Usyk Announces Relaunch of His Promotion With “Big Tournament”

Oleksandr Usyk is putting his promoter hat back on for the first time in four years.

The 39-year-old initially launched his own promotion, Usyk 17 Promotions, in 2020, but was forced to shut it down in 2022. 'The Cat' plans to bring it back in 2026, he announced on social media on Friday.

"Usyk 17 Promotions is back!" Usyk tweeted. "Something big is coming soon, you definitely won't want to miss it."

Usyk 17 Promotions is back! Something big is coming soon, you definitely won’t want to miss it.#Usyk17Promotions
— Oleksandr Usyk (@usykaa) February 6, 2026

The "big" event that he initially teased is a tournament he will host in Kyiv, Ukraine. He plans to use the promotion to highlight young, up-and-coming talent in his home country to give them a platform to build their careers.

"This spring in Kyiv, we want to host a big tournament," Usyk said, via ESPN. "We'll announce it at a later date. Exclusively, these fighters will be young, promising fighters from Ukraine and we'll help these guys reach their goals. Everything that depends on us, we'll do for the growth of new champions in our country."

Unlike the recently launched Zuffa Boxing, Usyk 17 Promotions does not intend to rival the biggest names in the industry. Instead of focusing on poaching the biggest names in the sport, Usyk hopes to help young Ukrainians begin their careers before moving on to a bigger stage.

"The renewed promotion aims to redefine the traditional boxing method by focusing not only on organizing fights, but on athletes as personalities and long-term brands."

Oleksandr Usyk relaunches promotion amid career uncertainty

Usyk's promotion relaunch comes at an odd time in his career. While he is still the lineal heavyweight champion, Usyk has not fought since July 2025 and does not appear to be on the verge of returning anytime soon.

After making quick work of Daniel Dubois to reclaim undisputed status, many expected Usyk's next title defense to come against WBO interim champion Joseph Parker. However, instead of waiting for the fight, Parker defended his belt against Fabio Wardley, who upset him with an 11th-round knockout.

With Parker no longer in the picture, Usyk does not have a clear No. 1 contender to face. Murat Gassiev and Agit Kabayel are interim champions to two of Usyk's belts, but neither is compelling enough a matchup to grab his attention.

Among the potential names, Usyk's team appears to be most interested in a potential fight against former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder. 'The Bronze Bomber' has a date with Derek Chisora in April, but he is rumored to be in the title conversation if he picks up an impressive victory over the retiring 42-year-old.

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