‘Is Usyk over the hill? No’: Roy Jones Jr gives his verdict on Verhoeven scare

On May 23, at the Pyramids of Giza, Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven headlined a Ring Magazine fight card, with Usyk’s Ring and WBC heavyweight titles on the line. Usyk was expected to win easily, but Verhoeven was more awkward than anticipated; the Ukrainian ultimately triumphed by an eleventh-round stoppage. Former four-weight world champion Roy Jones Jr has spoken to Betting Lounge, where he was asked whether father time had caught up with the mercurial Ukrainian.

Oleksandr Usyk overcomes Rico Verhoeven scare

Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven (1-1, 1 KO) wasn’t a fight for the boxing purists. Verhoeven exceeded many expectations with his come-forward, unconventional style. The approach from the Dutchman unsettled Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs) for much of the fight. Verhoeven did have some success with the right hand, but much of his work had little end product.

Usyk appeared not to be at his best, taking no credit away from Verhoeven. The Ukrainian produced the more eye-catching work, but Verhoeven continued to march forward. Usyk’s class came to the forefront in round eleven, landing a beautifully timed uppercut to knock Verhoeven down, who staggered back to his corner for them to put his gumshield back in. Once the fight restarted, Usyk pounced and landed a series of unanswered punches, forcing the  referee to step in and wave the fight off with one second of the round remaining.

Roy Jones Jr gives his verdict on Oleksandr Usyk following Rico Verhoeven scare

When asked if father time had caught up with Usyk after the Verhoeven fight, Jones had no doubt in his response:

“Is Usyk over the hill? No. Not at all. It’s about Rico’s herky-jerky style. That’s all that was. Rico’s performance made Usyk look like that, no question. I’m not going to say it was a bad stoppage. 

“I thought he could have let it go a little longer, but the ref probably was trying to look out for the guy. He probably thought the guy was done and he did what he thought was best. It happens.”

Featured Image Credit:

Mark Robinson – Matchroom Boxing