Why did the Usyk Rico fight get made in the first place when no one in boxing wanted to see it? Usyk has explained.
The heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk fights a relative unknown in boxing next month at the Pyramids in the form of Rico Verhoeven.
An accomplished kickboxing champion but a man who has never been anywhere near the highest level of professional boxing.
Speaking ahead of the fight Usyk said:
“It’s a great guy. It’s a dangerous guy. You know, please… One time, I want to do what I want, not what I need. Because a lot of the time I do what other people need. ‘You have to box like this. You have to box like that.’ I say, ‘Okay, okay.’ Now I do what I want. Thank you so much.”
Basically he avoided the topic and fans are hammering Usyk rightly around the world for this at the moment.
He only has himself to blame for that.
He is expected to win this fight easy next month on May 23rd.
After that he will surely get in there with a dangerous competitor like a Moses Itauma or someone.
Here are 10 short reasons why many believe Usyk’s choice of Rico Verhoeven damages his legacy:
- It’s seen as a massive mismatch against a kickboxer with almost no boxing experience.
- He’s risking the WBC heavyweight title against someone who hasn’t earned it in boxing.
- Usyk skipped real top contenders like Kabayel, Itauma, and Wardley.
- Many view it as an easy money grab instead of a serious title defense.
- It cheapens the heavyweight division after Usyk had just cleaned it out.
- It sets a poor precedent for sanctioning bodies to ignore rankings for spectacle fights.
- It makes his recent wins over Fury and Joshua feel less special.
- Fans wanted him to face the best boxers, not crossover athletes.
- At 38, it looks like he’s avoiding dangerous fights to protect his record.
- It hurts his claim as one of the greatest heavyweights by ending his reign on a questionable note.
At the end of the day we don’t believe Usyk to be an all time heavyweight great yet and this is not helping his case.
