Oleksandr Usyk had a lot more trouble with Rico Verhoeven than anyone expected on Saturday in Egypt.
Or did he?
On social media, Usyk said, “They say it was tense watching my fight with Rico,” and included a laughing emoji, adding, “Guys, I just didn’t want you to be bored, come on.”
Usyk stopped Verhoeven, who came over from kickboxing, in the 11th round of their WBC heavyweight title fight. The stoppage itself was controversial, with Rico considering an official appeal, and there’s been plenty of talk
of a money-churning rematch, from Turki Alalshikh himself, and promoter Frank Warren saying he won’t let that jump ahead of Usyk facing Agit Kabayel, who is Usyk’s WBC mandatory challenger.
As for Usyk’s comment, it’s worth remembering that Usyk, for as serious a competitor as he is, is a funny, kinda silly guy who says a lot of things in interviews he clearly doesn’t mean, and you can probably apply that to social media, too.
That said, there are naturally a lot of people wondering, with all due respect to Rico Verhoeven, how essentially a novice boxer was such a boxing challenge for one of the best and most accomplished boxers on the planet. The way professional boxing operates lends itself very easily to fan skepticism and cynicism, as money and “business” are always ahead of the pure sporting aspects.
For as much as Verhoeven did land shots on Usyk, none of it ever seemed to bother Usyk all that much, maybe a few of the body shots along the way. And when Usyk turned on the gas in Round 11, he completely took over in very quick, sudden fashion.
Suggesting there may have been a bit of “carrying” going on won’t go down well with everyone, but there are absolutely people who will think that’s the case, and they did before Usyk said this. Many felt the same back in 2017 when Floyd Mayweather fought Conor McGregor.
This is not a suggestion that it was a “worked” fight, either. I couldn’t personally know for certain either way, but I don’t think it was. Verhoeven landed some shots that Usyk really didn’t see coming that would strongly work against that idea. But it can be hard to take boxing at face value sometimes, and Usyk’s comment, joking or not, won’t make it any easier for those who already have their doubts.
Another way to look at it is Usyk setting up the salesmanship for a potential rematch, whether it comes next, or maybe the fight after next in 2027. That way you can hype that one with, “Usyk said he wasn’t even trying very hard the first time around, and this time he will,” and so forth. Not sure if one thing is really better than the other, as all of it suggests a level of theatricality that makes the sport seem a little less legit than you’d like, but that’s the world of boxing, I suppose.
