Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven: Teddy Atlas gives his verdict

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. Many expected Usyk to win easily, but Verhoeven was tougher than many expected, with the Ukrainian eventually winning by an eleventh-round stoppage. Renowned boxing trainer and commentator Teddy Atlas has given his honest reaction to what happened in Giza.

Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven ends in late stoppage drama

Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven (1-1, 1 KO) wasn’t a great spectacle. Credit must go to Verhoeven for his award-winning come-forward style, which kept Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs) unsettled for much of the fight. Despite the excitement of the commentary team and the crowd in Giza, much of Verhoeven’s work was pressured with little end product, although he did land some eye-catching right hands throughout the fight.

Usyk was not at his best, whether due to age, injury, or not training hard enough; his class shone through, knocking Verhoeven down in the eleventh round, with a beautifully timed uppercut. Verhoeven staggered to his corner for them to put his gumshield back in, but Usyk sensed a stoppage and pounced, landing a series of hurtful punches, forcing the referee to step in and wave the fight off with one second remaining. 

It appeared the bell had sounded for the end of the round. Either way, this stoppage will be discussed for many years, but one thing is undeniable: Usyk was well on top at that point, and a stoppage in the final round would have been highly likely.

Teddy Atlas reacts to Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven

Giving his reaction to what transpired in Giza, Atlas said:

“My version of what just took place with Verhoeven and Usyk. A couple of things here. All credit to Verhoeven. He was in shape. He’s a big guy. He’s got a lot of experience, not in boxing, kickboxing, but still, a lot of experience being comfortable in an uncomfortable environment where there’s fear, where there’s a threat involved. That Matters.

“He was awkward, moving his hands up and down, piston-like, charging forward, smothering Usyk in many cases. Usyk was not able to pull the trigger. I think there was a little bit of Ngannou-Fury element here, with the element of surprise, where Usyk was caught by surprise. Not really ready mentally or physically. Not in top shape. He was beefy-looking, looked like he was lifting weights more than he was doing traditional boxing training.

“Either way, credit to Verhoeven, but Usyk was not at his best, picked it up when he had to at the end. The stoppage, there was no doubt the bell had rung, but the referee also gave a lot of time to Verhoeven to recover, wasted a lot of time there. I don’t think there’s any doubt Usyk would have stopped him in the next round.”