Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven | DAZN - 23 May 2026

[Ruthless-RKO]

Oleksander Usyk-Rico Verhoeven deemed a 'WBC special event’

Oleksandr Usyk’s next fight is not dissimilar to the novelty attraction that was afforded his championship predecessor.

Boxing Scene has confirmed that none of Usyk’s alphabet heavyweight titles are at stake (so far) for Usyk’s recently announced showdown with Dutch kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven. Their scheduled May 23 bout drew scrutiny for its billing as a WBC title fight, though the sanctioning body was quick to dismiss that claim.

“The WBC fully supports this crossover fight,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed to BS. “It will be a ‘WBC special event’ and we will create an unbelievable [ceremonial] belt featuring the elements of the pyramids of Egypt.”

For now, the significance of Usyk-Verhoeven will be its backdrop. The DAZN pay-per-view headliner (free for DAZN Ultimate subscribers) will take place in the shadows of the Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Usyk, 24-0 (15 KOs), is the recognized lineal, Ring, WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight champion. Despite billing to the contrary, the classification of his clash with Verhoeven – one of the greatest kickboxers of all time, who will enter his second pro boxing match – is similar to the status surrounding Tyson Fury’s October 2023 crossover fight with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The fight topped Riyadh Season’s boxing launch show. Riyadh Season head Turki Alalshikh and Sela will finance Usyk-Verhoeven.

Pre-fight reaction to Fury-Ngannou was largely critical, many expressing disgust that Fury – the unbeaten lineal and WBC heavyweight champ at the time – would take on such a perceived mismatch given his standing.

The bout turned out to be anything but a mismatch. In fact, Ngannou floored Fury in the third-round and came within a whisker of pulling off one of the greatest upsets in boxing history.

Fury escaped with a split decision victory – his last win to date. His WBC belt was not at stake, though opinion is split on whether the fight was recognized as a lineal championship defense. Regardless, it didn’t carry any sanctioning body involvement – just its friendly support.

“The WBC supported Fury vs. [Ngannou], which turned out to be very competitive,” noted Sulaiman. “We have full respect of Rico as a legendary kickboxing heavyweight champion.”

Ngannou made his pro debut versus Fury. His lone other boxing match after that ended in disaster when he was annihilated inside two rounds by former two-time unified heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua.

Verhoeven has one prior pro boxing match to his name. It came in 2014, when Verhoeven scored a second-round knockout of Janos Finfera in Darmstadt, Germany.

On that same evening, less than three hours away, Usyk – two years removed from his Olympic gold medal haul in 2012 London – won his third pro bout, a third-round knockout of Ben Nsafoah in Oberhausen, Germany.

Usyk would go on to fully unify the 200lbs division, courtesy of his running the tables in the World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight tournament. He has since twice accomplished the same at heavyweight, earning the Ring, WBA, IBF and WBO titles in his first of two wins over Joshua before adding the WBC belt in his epic May 2024 clash with Fury in Riyadh. Usyk defeated Fury for a second time later that December before he earned a repeat knockout over Daniel Dubois last July 19 in London.

Usyk’s past six fights have all involved two-bout sets with Joshua, Fury and Dubois. All but one took place on the road or in Saudi Arabia; the exception was his August 2023 meeting with Dubois in front of a pro-Ukraine crowd in Wroclaw, Poland. Nearly his entire cruiserweight run also took place on his opponent’s home soil.

Given the long, hard road to the top, Usyk has his share of support – even amid a swarm of criticism – in taking on this fight. The common takeaway has been that it should not be a heavyweight title fight, nor should he be permitted to hold the titles hostage.

For example, Agit Kabayel holds the interim version of the WBC heavyweight title and is guaranteed the next shot at Usyk after this fight. BS has confirmed that discussions are already in place to possibly get Kabayel in the ring around that same time so that he and Usyk can head straight into a title consolidation.

Murat Gassiev, who holds a secondary version of the WBA belt, suffered his first defeat at the hands of Usyk in their July 2018 undisputed 200lbs championship in Moscow. WBA officials have yet to call for a title consolidation bout, nor have they really commented on Usyk taking on this fight.

Usyk has yet to seek permission or sanctioning from the IBF. It’s clear that the WBC is involved, though just not in the form of having to approve a title fight request.

“At this moment, there has not been discussion of a request to be a title defense,” Sulaiman confirmed. “It’s just a special event involving the WBC heavyweight champion.”

[keithmoonhangover]

Peter Fury, uncle and former trainer of Tyson Fury, will be training Rico Verhoeven for his fight against Oleksandr Usyk on May 23rd at the Pyramids of Giza

We he be allowed in the country? He couldn't get a visa for America back int day.

[KiwiRider]

"The WBC fully supports this crossover fight,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed"

Let me translate that for you chaps;

"The WBC fully supports anything we can gain revenue from, even this crap"

[Cyclops]

Big Usyk fan here, but I sincerely hope this tanks.

[gilgamesh]

You all need a swift kick in the gonads for not appreciating this matchup. Hopefully you people give this fight its props after it exceeds your expectations.

[KiwiRider]

You all need a swift kick in the gonads for not appreciating this matchup. Hopefully you people give this fight its props after it exceeds your expectations.

Good point
My expectations are so low it only has to be a proper fight (with no carrying from Uysk) and my expectations are exceeded.
Of course I'm not watching it live, I'll wait and see if it's not going to piss me off too much. I learned I'm not partial to boxers holding back after Mayweather vs McGregor

[gilgamesh]

You all need a swift kick in the gonads for not appreciating this matchup. Hopefully you people give this fight its props after it exceeds your expectations.

Good point
My expectations are so low it only has to be a proper fight (with no carrying from Uysk) and my expectations are exceeded.
Of course I'm not watching it live, I'll wait and see if it's not going to piss me off too much. I learned I'm not partial to boxers holding back after Mayweather vs McGregor

Usyk isn't the type to hold back, and I don't look for Rico to give him that option anyhow.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Oleksandr Usyk’s WBC title defence in doubt despite initial fight announcement

Oleksandr Usyk’s upcoming fight with Rico Verhoeven may not be a WBC title defence, despite an initial announcement to the contrary.

The Ukrainian southpaw was last in action against Daniel Dubois in July 2025, where he became undisputed in boxing’s top division for a second time. Rather than face his WBO mandatory challenger, Fabio Wardley, next, Usyk opted to vacate that belt.

He still currently holds the WBC, WBA and IBF, but only the WBC was mentioned when his fight with Verhoeven – to take place at the Pyramids of Giza on May 23 – was made official this week.

However, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman, who has come under fire since the announcement, has now told Chris Mannix that the fight will be a WBC “special event” and that the belt on the line will be a commemorative token. He says there has been no request for it to be a sanctioned heavyweight title defence.

“The WBC fully supports this cross over fight … (we) will create an unbelievable belt featuring the elements of Pyramids of Egypt. The WBC supported Fury vs Ngannou which turned out to be very competitive and we have full respect of Rico as a legendary kickboxing heavyweight champion. At this moment there has not been discussion of a request to be a title defence and just a special event involving the WBC heavyweight champion.”

Usyk was granted a voluntary defence months ago on the condition that he would face mandatory challenger and interim champion, Agit Kabayel, next. However, voluntaries should come against someone ranked in the top 15 – something Verhoeven, who has had one professional boxing match, can’t boast.

The Tyson Fury–Francis Ngannou bout provides a recent precedent, where the WBC title was not placed on the line. At the time, Fury held the WBC title, but the sanctioning body permitted ‘The Gypsy King’ to have that fight without the belt on the line, then allowing him to move into an undisputed contest with Usyk.

The Verhoeven fight in general has been met by mixed reviews, with many feeling the Ukrainian road warrior has earned the right for big money crossover bouts at this stage of his campaign. Others, however, would rather the world titles were not held up to make it happen. What the IBF and WBA decide to do remains unclear, with Usyk losing those two belts a real possibility.



---------------------------------------
Oleksandr Usyk-Rico Verhoeven ‘Special Event’ now a sanctioned WBC title fight

Death, taxes and sanctioning bodies changing their minds as they see fit.

Less than 24 hours after declaring Oleksandr Usyk-Rico Verhoeven as a ‘WBC Special Event’, the sanctioning body’s Board of Governors have agreed to have its heavyweight title at stake for the May 23 novelty fight. Sunday’s ruling was born of a previous agreement between Usyk, 24-0 (15 KOs), and the WBC during last year’s annual convention, where the unbeaten Ukrainian southpaw was granted a voluntary defense.

“After careful consideration, the WBC Board of Governors has ruled in favor of sanctioning WBC World Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk's voluntary title defense against legendary kickboxing Champion Rico Verhoeven,” the sanctioning body revealed in a public ruling on Sunday. “At its 63rd Annual Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, the WBC granted Champion Usyk a voluntary defense.

“Subsequently, the WBC received a petition to sanction the Usyk v. Herhoeven fight as a voluntary defense.”

That last part comes shortly after WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman stated that his office had yet to field a request for the crossover bout to serve as a sanctioned title fight. In fairness, Sulaiman – in his longtime role as president – works alongside the Board of Governors and doesn’t actually hold a board member seat.

Still, Sunday’s ruling leaves both the sanctioning body and Usyk subject to sharp criticism over Verhoeven receiving a title shot. The legendary kickboxer from the Netherlands has just one pro boxing match to his name, and it came more than a decade ago.

It also spits in the face of more deserving challengers patiently (and several, impatiently) waiting in line for their crack at the most storied prize in boxing’s rich history.

Usyk is the recognized lineal, RING, WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion. To date, neither the WBA nor IBF titles are at stake. Whether or not Ring Magazine – whose promotional team will present the event from Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza – will recognize its championship at stake is a decision for the publication to confirm.

Agit Kabayel is the WBC interim titlist and confirmed as the next mandatory challenger and has done his best to bide his time while awaiting the call for a title consolidation clash. He turned away Damian Knyba in a 3rd round knockout atop a long overdue homecoming show on January 10 in Oberhausen, Germany.

Regarding the news of Usyk next facing Verhoeven, the undefeated 33-year-old took the high road and offered the most optimistic take on the situation.

“It’s official. Just one fight to go,” Kabayel noted on his verified Instagram account. “Then we’re next. Blow up the comments!”

The same ruling that permitted a voluntary defense for Usyk also confirmed that the three-time undisputed champion in two weight divisions would next have to face Kabayel—without exception.

At the time, it was believed that Usyk would next face former WBC heavyweight titlist Deontay Wilder, 44-4-1 (43 KOs). Those plans fell apart somewhere along the way, as Wilder will first – or instead – face Derek Chisora atop an April 4 Misfits Pro (MF Pro) card in London.

Those who are not quite ready or willing to burn Usyk at the stake point to his run to becoming heavyweight king. His last six fights have all come against Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois – earning two wins each over the trio of British heavyweights.

Usyk defeated Joshua via narrow decision in their September 2021 meeting at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to claim the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight title. He repeated the feat eleven months later in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

From there came, in order:


- A 9th round knockout of Dubois in August 2023;



- A May 2024 split decision over Fury in Riyadh to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the 21st century;



- A more convincing win over Fury in their December 2024 rematch, also in Riyadh;



- And a repeat knockout victory over Dubois last July 19 in London to regain the IBF belt and become a two-time undisputed heavyweight king.


“Champion Usyk’s has showcased incredible activity in recent years, facing and defeating champions in his division like Anthony Joshua twice, Tyson Fury twice, and Daniel Dubois twice,” noted the WBC’s ruling. “He did all of that while maintaining his undefeated record. In reaching its approval decision, the WBC Board of Governors considered Champion Usyk’s activity, which is unprecedented, especially in the heavyweight division.”

Usyk previously held the undisputed cruiserweight championship. He dethroned three unbeaten 200lbs titlists to earn the status, all three bouts which took place in his opponent’s home country. During his heavyweight run, the closest he’s enjoyed to a home game was his Aug. 2023 victory over Dubois in Wroclaw, Poland, which boasts a massive Ukrainian population.

Still, he’s the recognized champion of boxing’s glamour division.

Fury was the lineal and WBC heavyweight champion when he entered an October 2023 novelty fight with UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who made his pro boxing debut. Similar to the WBC’s previous declaration for Usyk-Verhoeven, the sanctioning body supported Fury-Ngannou as an event, but not as a sanctioned title fight.

The difference between then and now – Fury didn’t actually file a request for a traditional WBC title defense. Usyk did, and the sanctioning body took into consideration Verhoeven’s record-breaking championship run in kickboxing in lending its full support here.

“Rico has been competing professionally at an elite kickboxing level since 2005. Over the course of two decades while maintaining that very highest level of competition, he has established himself as arguably one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxing champions of all time. Rico’s professional journey has been exceptional, which includes headlining and selling out major stadium arenas in front of 30,000 and 40,000 spectators worldwide.

“At 36 years of age, he competed in 76 professional kickboxing fights. Rico just recently vacated the Glory Kickboxing Heavyweight title going undefeated in 11 years. The transition from kickboxing to boxing is not unprecedented. Many Muay Thai athletes have successfully crossed over into professional boxing and competed for WBC titles early in their boxing careers. This WBC decision is within the WBC rules and regulations.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

WBC sanctions Usyk-Verhoeven as heavyweight title fight

Oleksandr Usyk joined the craze for crossover clashes on Friday when it was announced that he'd fight kickboxing powerhouse Rico Verhoeven.
Billed as "Glory in Giza" and sponsored by The Ring, the boxing match and special event is set to take place on May 23 at the iconic Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) is The Ring, IBF, WBA and WBC champion, and one of the immediate reactions to the fight was that Verhoeven was undeserving to jump the line of legitimate heavyweight contenders to get a crack at the Ukrainian's crown.

On Sunday, the WBC announced it would sanction the fight and explained in detail why.

"After careful consideration, the WBC Board of Governors has ruled in favor of sanctioning WBC world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk’s voluntary title defense against legendary kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven.

"At its 63rd Annual Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, the WBC granted Usyk a voluntary defense. Subsequently, the WBC received a petition to sanction the Usyk versus Herhoeven fight as a voluntary defense.

"Usyk has showcased incredible activity in recent years, facing and defeating champions in his division like Anthony Joshua twice, Tyson Fury twice, and Daniel Dubois twice. He did all of that while maintaining his undefeated record. In reaching its approval decision, the WBC Board of Governors considered Usyk’s activity, which is unprecedented, especially in the heavyweight division.

"Rico has been competing professionally at an elite kickboxing level since 2005. Over the course of two decades, while maintaining that very highest level of competition, he has established himself as arguably one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxing champions of all time.

"Rico’s professional journey has been exceptional, which includes headlining and selling out major stadium arenas in front of 30,000 and 40,000 spectators worldwide. At 36 years of age, he competed in 76 professional kickboxing fights. Rico just recently vacated the Glory Kickboxing heavyweight title after going undefeated for 11 years.

"The transition from kickboxing to boxing is not unprecedented. Many Muay Thai athletes have successfully crossed over into professional boxing and competed for WBC titles early in their boxing careers. This WBC decision is within the WBC rules and regulations.

"The pyramids of Egypt will give this event historic importance and surroundings. That has been the dream of many, including our beloved WBC President Jose Sulaiman."

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

Peter Fury confirms he will train Verhoeven for Usyk challenge

Heavyweight boxing changed forever one cold November night in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Back in 2015, Tyson Fury’s stunning victory over Wladimir Klitschko brought a decade of dominance to an end and heralded in a new, exciting era for the sport’s glamour division.

The architect of Fury’s triumph that night was his uncle, Peter. The cerebral trainer now has the chance to mastermind an even bigger upset.

Dutch kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven (1-0, 1 KO) has chosen Fury to train him for his upcoming fight with unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) in a Ring-sponsored event May 23 in the shadow of the Giza Pyramids in Egypt.

The Ukrainian’s WBA, IBF and Ring titles will not be on the line. On Sunday, however, the WBC confirmed that its belt will be up for grabs despite the fact Verhoeven has taken part in only one professional boxing match.

The event will be screened exclusively by DAZN.

Fury took to social media to confirm his appointment and indicate that he is about to depart for Holland for the entire three-month training camp.

“It's going to be a great night,” Fury said. “A lot of hard work to be done but two great people and two great champions in their own right. What a privilege. Looking forward to this camp, and God will decide whatever happens.”

Verhoeven might be the most accomplished heavyweight kickboxer of all time but has been around combat sports long enough to know that he faces the challenge of a lifetime against Usyk, who hasn’t boxed since he knocked out Daniel Dubois to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion last September.

Verhoeven’s sole professional appearance in the boxing ring came back in 2014, when he stopped one Janos Finfera in the second round. However, he hasn’t neglected his hands in the intervening years.

He and Fury have a longstanding relationship, and the 36-year old has been a regular visitor to Fury training camps over the years.

Verhoeven has shared the ring with both Tyson and Peter’s son, former British heavyweight champion and one time world title challenger Hughie Fury.

With the biggest challenge of his life looming, he has wisely decided to entrust his preparations to an experienced heavyweight trainer and somebody he is comfortable and familiar with.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Panel of boxing experts reactions to this fight.

Wayne Alexander, British, European, World Champion: “Rico Verhoeven is a world champion kick-boxer and hasn’t proven himself as a boxer, how the WBC have allowed this I don’t know! Nobody knows how good Rico is as a boxer. It’s seems like The Ring Magazine are in charge of a lot in boxing and are now making all the rules. Money talks.”

Lou DiBella, Hall of Fame Promoter: “I’m not bullsh*tting… I dunno who the f**k Rico Verhoeven is. Like, I never heard of him. I love Usyk, but I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about this boxing match.”

Adam Catterall, Award-winning Broadcaster: “Oleksandr Usyk has delivered every fight we asked for multiple times over so if he wants to have some fun against a legend from another sport in an awesome setting then crack on. However, the fact the WBC are supposedly sanctioning it as a legit title fight is diabolical.”

Rob Tebbutt, Sportsman Boxing: “Absolutely farcical.”

Dan Rafael, ESPN: “An all-time great fighter in Usyk, who has been forced into mandatories and contracted rematches for most of his last several fights, can make ton of money to fight a great kickboxer in an optional defense at a wild location (the Pyramids) in the twilight of his career. I’m OK with it.”

Tony Bellew: “He’ll come in and give it everything with no hesitation and will no show respect which will make it Interesting for about 6/7 mins! Once this passes he’ll be given a painful lesson! He’s big, brave and dangerous but has no boxing IQ at this level! This isn’t Sparring!”

Paul Speak: “Usyk is an outstanding talent and a great champion. If an opportunity arises to cash in on his status then why not take it.

“He will have sat down and studied Rico and weighed up the financial reward against the risk. Business is business and he is cashing in on his success.

“We had it before with McGregor and Mayweather, Fury vs Ngannou and look what nearly happened there.

“Usyk is an intelligent man he won’t underestimate Rico. So nothing new in boxing.”

Tony Tolj, Dragon Fire Boxing Promoter: “Usyk is an Undisputed Cruiserweight and Heavyweight Champion on multiple occasions fought multiple mandatories. So I have no objection to him having this fight as long he fights his mandatory next.

“I don’t know enough about Rico, whether he is worthy for a WBC title shot. Seems like a solid puncher which should make for an interesting fight.

“Very interesting location, it is what it is and will be a fun event so let’s not over think it.”

Tim Rickson, BBN Editor: “For me, this is an exhibition bout, a bit like when Tyson and Joshua fought Francis Ngannou. Fury didn’t train for that fight and made the UFC star look good, then AJ did to him what any heavyweight boxer should do. I don’t know much about Rico Verhoeven at this early stage, I will find out more about him in time, but right now this is a complete mismatch.

“Usyk has completed boxing, he’s cleared out the cruiserweights and the heavyweights, so the guy has a green light to do whatever he wants. However, this is an exhibition bout and I strongly believe they should only take place after a boxer’s career has finished. So, if Usyk has called time on his professional boxing career, then this fight is fine, but I can’t take it seriously as a professional boxing match.

“The wildest part of all this for me is the fact that the WBC world heavyweight title is on the line! Imagine being Agit Kabayel and winning every single one of your 27 professional contest, only to see a boxer with a 1-0 record from 12 years ago step in front of you in the line. It’s outrageous! I have always loved the WBC, but this is causing major conflict for me. How does a 1-0 boxer that’s not fought in professional boxing for 12 years fight for a world title? It should not be allowed, it’s making a mockery of the world title.

“Boxing is very erratic at the moment, with the likes of Dana White and Turki Alalshikh shaking things up, but I just concentrate on what matters, such as Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois in Manchester, Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov at Spurs, Wilder-Chisora at The O2 – that’s real boxing. Ignore MisFits, Zuffa, all that nonsense and stay tuned to real boxing, which is very much alive and well.”

Mike Coppinger, The Ring Magazine: “Indeed, kickboxers have had a lot of success in heavyweight boxing. Vitali Klitschko. Dillian Whyte. Big Baby Miller. Alexander Povetkin. This isn’t a wrestler boxing Usyk. It’s a man who has knockout power and stands up when fighting. Usyk has fought practically everyone at heavyweight, from four fights total with Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury to another two with Daniel Dubois, Derek Chisora, etc. Yes, Wardley and Kabayel are deserving. But if Usyk wants to have some fun with a big spectacle, so be it.”

Ozzy Smith, Boxing Asylum Nuthouse Podcaster: “Coppinger is not a serious boxing reporter. He is solely a mouthpiece for a state controlled media outlet. His take is absurd, Verhoeven has no chance in this fight and would lose to the majority of domestic level British fighters.”

Martin Hillman, Commonwealth Silver champion: “Not an overall fan of this matchup, understandably he vacated his WBO to Wardley and hasn’t left himself a great deal of credible options at the moment, however I think fighting someone like a Kabayel would’ve made more sense.

”The cross-over matchups have outweighed logic in favour of hype, which we saw with Fury Ngannou. Although that bout nearly delivered a massive upset, I believe this one is impossible to think of a scenario where Usyk loses.”

Arijan Goricki, IBO title contender: “I don’t see point of making that fight happen, it’s only money grab for Oleksandr and Rico. My prediction is Usyk by UD.”

Alexander McGibbon, BBN Writer: “This fight is a farce. Stupid at best. Why on earth is the three-time undisputed champion, already on the way out, needing them legacy fights, fighting someone who is 1-0? I’d love someone who doesn’t have an unbiased opinion to let me know. It’s silly, but I’ll still be watching.”

Ethan O’Connor, BBN YouTube Reporter: “Not an overall fan of this matchup, understandably he vacated his WBO to Wardley and hasn’t left himself a great deal of credible option at the moment, however I think fighting someone like a Kabayel would’ve made more sense. The cross-over matchups have outweighed logic in favour of hype which we saw with Fury Ngannou. Although that bout nearly delivered a massive upset, I believe this one is impossible to think of a scenario where Usyk loses.”

Max Timpson, BBN Writer: “I think that Usyk has solidified himself as the best heavyweight of this era and can fight who he likes. However, if he wants to go down this circus fight route then I believe he should vacate the WBC belt as Verhoeven is not worthy of challenging for such a title with his current record. Kabayel should be fighting for that belt against whoever is ranked next to him in my opinion as they are more deserving of a title shot.

“The WBC allowing Verhoeven to fight for the title is very strange also and does make the rankings seem insignificant.

“I also think that Verhoeven will be dominated and finished as Usyk is already much better than every heavyweight boxer, so I cannot see how a kickboxer will have much success against him.”

[keithmoonhangover]

You all need a swift kick in the gonads for not appreciating this matchup. Hopefully you people give this fight its props after it exceeds your expectations.

OK, you think this is a better match up than me, so I'll ask you a question. How many rounds do you think Verhoeven will win?

[SeanBrennan]

You all need a swift kick in the gonads for not appreciating this matchup. Hopefully you people give this fight its props after it exceeds your expectations.

OK, you think this is a better match up than me, so I'll ask you a question. How many rounds do you think Verhoeven will win?

I’m going for zero

[Cyclops]

You all need a swift kick in the gonads for not appreciating this matchup. Hopefully you people give this fight its props after it exceeds your expectations.

OK, you think this is a better match up than me, so I'll ask you a question. How many rounds do you think Verhoeven will win?

I’m going for zero

This will be over 12, right?

[Coco]

Cash grab by all

[CaptainSpacerod]

You all need a swift kick in the gonads for not appreciating this matchup. Hopefully you people give this fight its props after it exceeds your expectations.

OK, you think this is a better match up than me, so I'll ask you a question. How many rounds do you think Verhoeven will win?

Purely to play devil’s advocate keith, how many rounds did DD win against Usyk ?

[keithmoonhangover]

You all need a swift kick in the gonads for not appreciating this matchup. Hopefully you people give this fight its props after it exceeds your expectations.

OK, you think this is a better match up than me, so I'll ask you a question. How many rounds do you think Verhoeven will win?

Purely to play devil’s advocate keith, how many rounds did DD win against Usyk ?

Over the two fights, one round, two max from memory.

[JamesPhilips]

Has anyone watched Rico’s boxing? It’s really quite basic and not much power. At least Ngannou could bang. And it wasn’t for the world title.

[CaptainSpacerod]

OK, you think this is a better match up than me, so I'll ask you a question. How many rounds do you think Verhoeven will win?

Purely to play devil’s advocate keith, how many rounds did DD win against Usyk ?

Over the two fights, one round, two max from memory.

Yeah same here without watching them again. So purely on that basis why not give Rico a shot ?

It ignores the far greater chance of a technically correct big puncher like DD landing a big shot. To counterbalance that though, and I’m only guessing here, isn’t a kick-boxer likely to throw punches in an unusual stance and from unusual angles which could maybe catch Usyk off guard and off balance ??

[margaret thatcher]

rico is a great kickboxer. in particular, he's excellent at blending his punches and kicks. just pure boxing, not particularly strong

but tbh im at the 'bonus stage' stage of usyk's career cuz i thought he shoulda retired already

[golden_labrador]

rico is a great kickboxer. in particular, he's excellent at blending his punches and kicks. just pure boxing, not particularly strong

but tbh im at the 'bonus stage' stage of usyk's career cuz i thought he shoulda retired already

same. I've seen a few of RV's boxing fights on YouTube and he's not great. but if he's been the king of heavyweight kickboxing for such a long time, maybe he does deserve his big payday.

I'll watch it on YouTube the day after though

[keithmoonhangover]

Yeah same here without watching them again. So purely on that basis why not give Rico a shot ?

Because DDD is a boxer, an amateur youth champion, nine years as a pro, twenty five fights and wins over top 10 guys. He's been living and breathing boxing for fourteen years.

Honestly, I think Usyk will carry Rico for a few rounds, make it interesting and then put him to the sword.

[gilgamesh]

You all need a swift kick in the gonads for not appreciating this matchup. Hopefully you people give this fight its props after it exceeds your expectations.

OK, you think this is a better match up than me, so I'll ask you a question. How many rounds do you think Verhoeven will win?

Anywhere between 1 to 3

[gilgamesh]

Has anyone watched Rico’s boxing? It’s really quite basic and not much power. At least Ngannou could bang. And it wasn’t for the world title.

If Ngannou had knocked out Fury i for one would've considered him Heavyweight Champion. I'm sure I'm not alone in that.