Oleksandr Usyk-Rico Verhoeven: Ukrainian stops kickboxer

Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk will stop kickboxer Rico Verhoeven when the two meet at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, according to a BoxingScene analysis published ahead of the bout. The piece argues that Usyk, 24-0 with 15 knockouts and widely considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing, faces a severe mismatch against Verhoeven, whose lone professional boxing appearance came 12 years ago.

The fight is being marketed as a spectacle, with the ancient pyramids providing the backdrop for the 12-round contest. But BoxingScene contends that the exotic location cannot disguise what amounts to a fundamental mismatch. "Take away the background, those pyramids and the sand, and strip whatever is happening down to only what is happening, then the true value should become apparent," the outlet writes. Verhoeven holds a 1-0 record with one stoppage in boxing, though his kickboxing résumé includes a nine-year unbeaten streak since 2015.

Can Verhoeven survive Usyk's pressure?

The 37-year-old Dutchman has dominated kickboxing for nearly a decade, recording 64 bouts in that discipline with 16 stoppages — most of them triggered by kicks rather than punches. Without the ability to deploy leg strikes or trips, Verhoeven's path to victory becomes difficult to map. BoxingScene notes that Usyk, 39, has never entered a fight unprepared and will treat Verhoeven as a serious threat despite the gulf in credentials. The Ukrainian is coming off back-to-back wins over Tyson Fury and remains undefeated as a professional.

Verhoeven, trained by Peter Fury, is expected to rely on toughness and durability to survive the early rounds. BoxingScene predicts the bout will turn around the halfway point of the scheduled 12 rounds, when Usyk's experience and ring craft begin to break down the kickboxer's resistance. The fight has drawn comparisons to other crossover mismatches, including Conor McGregor's loss to Floyd Mayweather and Francis Ngannou's knockout defeat to Anthony Joshua, neither of which delivered competitive action.

The WBC has ordered Usyk to face mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel next, though no timeline has been set for that bout. Usyk's team has not commented publicly on the Verhoeven fight or what comes after.

Source: boxingscene.com