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Verhoeven vows to be “a different kind of puzzle” for master Usyk

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LONDON – Oleksandr Usyk explained Tuesday why he is giving kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven a chance to win the WBC heavyweight title.

“One day I want to do whatever I want,” Usyk, 39, said at a press conference.

The undefeated Ukrainian will not have the WBA and IBF belts on the line when he faces the 37-year-old Dutch kickboxer in a 12-round fight on May 23 at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt.

Usyk, who has not fought since last July’s Wembley Stadium fifth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois, said “a lot of people” have asked why he is fighting a novice while the likes of Agit Kabayel – the WBC interim champion – are waiting in the wings.

“(Verhoeven) is a great guy, a unsafe guy,” Usyk (24-0, 15 KO) said. “A lot of time I do what other people (demand). I say OK, OK, OK – now I do what (I want).”

Verhoeven says Usyk will “fall”. The 6-foot-7 Verhoeven won his only fight as a boxer in 2014. He was a long-time heavyweight kickboxing champion.

He was asked how he would do what no other professional boxer had managed to do – defeat Usyk.

“I’m going to present aspects of kickboxing, present a different type of puzzle,” Verhoeven said. “I’m a large individual. I weigh about 125 kilograms (265 pounds).”

Usyk, a former cruiserweight champion, fights at under 230 pounds and has defeated a number of bigger opponents, including Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

“When I give him my best punch, of course he will fall,” Verhoeven said. “He’s like a trained cruiserweight. I’m like a natural heavyweight. That’s a large difference. It’ll happen if I hit my best shot flawlessly, and if I don’t, we’ll just win.”

Usyk replied: “We’ll see.”

Earlier in the session, Usyk said that “size doesn’t matter” and that he just needs to train and eat.

“Tough training and good pasta – good pasta, double the portion. It’s magic,” he said.

Verhoeven also mentioned British action star Jason Statham as “one of the people who created this opportunity, for which he is very grateful.”

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Boxing

Tommy Morrisons Son Died Twice: Brothers Battle with Cancer

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"Tommy Morrison’s Son ‘Died Twice’: Brother’s Battle with Cancer"

Tommy Morrison’s son Trey has revealed for the first time that he has “died twice” while putting past differences aside to support his brother Kenzie through his fight with stomach cancer.

Trey Lippe Morrison made the revelation while asking people to pray for Kenzie, one day after World Boxing News reported that the 36-year-old had been diagnosed with cancer and a GoFundMe had been set up to help with medical bills.

The two sons of former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison have had their differences over the years, something Trey acknowledged openly before making clear that none of it matters now.

“No 2 other people have had their differences like my brother and myself. F*** our differences!” Trey said.

“My brother Kenzie Morrison is in the fight of his life. I want him here! I love him.”

Trey Morrison ‘Died Twice’

Trey asked those praying for Kenzie to believe that his brother can recover before revealing something he had never previously made public.

“I’ve never shared this, but I’ve died twice, I’m still here, it didn’t matter how tough I was, it was all HIM,” he said.

Trey did not elaborate on when or under what circumstances those incidents occurred and has previously kept his personal health private.

The older sibling suffered serious injuries in a 2023 car wreck that left his boxing career in doubtwhile Kenzie’s own fighting career was interrupted by injuries and inactivity before his cancer diagnosis.

Both followed their famous father into boxing and displayed the considerable punching power associated with the Morrison namebut neither was able to build the momentum once expected.

Now, boxing has become secondary for both brothers.

Brothers Put Differences Aside

Kenzie revealed his stomach cancer diagnosis after spending around a month dealing with stomach and back problems.

In his latest update, Kenzie provided further information about his situation and the urgency surrounding his search for specialist treatment.

“It’s not too late, but we don’t got a lot of time,” Kenzie said.

For Trey, whatever differences existed between the brothers have now been pushed aside.

“I love you Kenzie, and I’ll be with you every step and breath of the way,” he said.

Trey also emphasized his faith throughout the message and asked others to share Kenzie’s fight as widely as possible.

“I truly believe he will do HIM and heal my brother,” Trey said of his belief in God.

“Share everything about my brothers fight, get the word out there, everybody BELIEVE!”

Amanda Westcott

The brothers may have taken different paths since following their famous father into boxing, but Trey’s message makes his priority clear.

He wants his brother here, and intends to be alongside him throughout the biggest fight of Kenzie’s life.


About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.

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Teofimo Lopez Targets Next Opponent After WBA Welterweight Title Victory Over Rolly Romero

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"Teofimo Lopez Targets Next Opponent After WBA Welterweight Title Victory Over Rolly Romero"

Teofimo Lopez already has his next target in mind following his victory over Rolly Romero.

Lopez claimed the WBA welterweight title with a majority decision win over Romero at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, becoming a three-division world champion in the process.

Fans have already began to speculate over who Lopez may turn his attention to next, and it didn’t take ‘The Takeover’ long to make his intentions perfectly clear.

Speaking in his post-fight press conferenceLopez revealed that he is looking to face the winner of next month’s WBC welterweight title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn.

“September 12th you’ve got Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn. We’ll see what happens there, we’ll watch. Obviously Keith Connolly [Lopez’s manager] manages Conor Benn so if he wins it’s a great fight to take across the pond, and I’m rooting for it anyway.”

Lopez also admitted he could be interested in a battle with IBF champion Liam Paro, but explained why he wouldn’t want to take on WBO champion Devin Haney just yet.

“I’d rather wait for Devin at the end, and the only reason why is to reclaim the whole situation with undisputed, not undisputed. We’ll see what Devin does on that end, so it’ll either be Liam Paro next or the winner of Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn.”

Lopez is referring to when he campaigned at lightweight and insisted he was undisputed champion following his win over Vasiliy Lomachenko, only for Haney to be recognised as the legitimate WBC titleholder, meaning there is plenty of history between the pair.

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Shakur Stevenson Analyzes Rolly Romero After Teofimo Lopezs Victory in World Title Fight

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"Shakur Stevenson Analyzes Rolly Romero After Teofimo Lopez's Victory in World Title Fight"

Teofimo Lopez defeated Rolly Romero to win the WBA welterweight title on Saturday and now Shakur Stevenson has shared his reaction.

Lopez appeared to be in control for the majority of the bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, though the scorecards had it much closer than people expected, with ‘The Takeover’ only getting the nod by majority decision after scores of 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112.

Romero did have a successful fifth round where he was able to rock Lopezbut other than that he failed to get any real foothold in the fight, as he lost his WBA crown and Lopez claimed world honours in a third division after previous reigns at 135lbs and 140lbs.

It was back in January when his time as WBO super-lightweight champion came to an end, suffering a one-sided unanimous decision defeat to the aforementioned Stevenson at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Stevenson has now posted on social media with his verdict on the win from ‘The Takeover’, praising his former rival for becoming world champion in his first bout at 147lbs.

“Yea Teofimo 3 division champ that’s 🔥”

Stevenson also paid tribute to Romero, saying he had ‘respect’ for the former champion for taking on anyone.

“Respect to Rolly a champion who will fight anybody Respect champ!!!”

Lopez now may look towards potential unification fights at 147lbs following his victory, with the winner of next month’s WBC title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn a possible option, along with battles against WBO champion Devin Haney or IBF champion Liam Paro.

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