Now Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions wants to restart talks for a fight between Verhoeven and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

“MVP is 100 percent interested in working with Rico for his next boxing or MMA fight,” said Nakisa Bidarian, CEO and co-founder of MVP Ring.

Verhoeven was previously linked with Ngannou before accepting a fight with Usyk. Instead, Ngannou fought Philipe Lins earlier this month, stopping him in one round.

Ngannou reacted sharply to Rico’s performance against Usyk and suggested that crossover fighters are evaluated differently when they enter the box.

“Outsides will never win, trust me, I know, but Rico was the winner today, period,” Ngannou said on social media after the fight.

Jake Paul also questioned the result after the controversial stoppage, praising Verhoeven’s performance against the undefeated heavyweight champion.

“I truly love boxing and what happened seriously saddens me. The sport and the fans deserve better,” Jake said on social media.

“I can’t get away from it, but Usyk is the best of our generation and Rico just worked on him every step of the way. So is Rico the best of our generation?”

Verhoeven later said he planned to continue boxing after the Usyk fight, opening the door to potential fights with Ngannou and other heavyweights.

However, the timing can get complicated. Turki Alalshikh has already said publicly that he wants Usyk to face Agit Kabayel next, and then decided to rematch Verhoeven again. This could leave Rico having to wait unless another major fight is finalized in the meantime.

The Verhoeven-Ngannou fight may be one of the biggest crossover fights available in combat sports right now.

Devin Haney appeared to have fired Keith Thurman after the former unified welterweight champion questioned whether Haney could dominate the 147-pound division.

Thurman offered his assessment in an interview, saying he wasn’t confident Haney would be able to make it through the welterweight division despite recent wins over Jose Ramirez and Brian Norman Jr.

“After his loss and victory against Ryan Garcia, the pedigree he has in terms of winning doesn’t impress me,” Thurman told MillCity Boxing. “There are some talented fighters who have faster hands, better footwork, stronger punches and better in-ring IQ.”

“I’m not convinced about Haney. The welterweight division may not be the biggest one right now and I don’t see him dominating. I think there’s plenty [fighters]. A lightweight fighter could just step up and potentially re-establish himself as a welterweight and work his way up through the division.”

Thurman also compared Haney’s move to 147 pounds to the jumps previously made by Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, but said he doesn’t see Haney reaching that level at welterweight.

“Floyd was a lightweight that broke 147. Pacquiao was a lightweight that broke 147. Haney is trying to be a lightweight that breaks 147. I just don’t see him succeeding,” Thurman said.

Haney later responded on social media with a low post directed at Thurman.

Keith looks like a smoker pic.twitter.com/YCCpMQygc8

— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) May 26, 2026

Haney has looked stronger since moving up to welterweight, but the question remains how he would fare against pressure fighters and boxers at this weight after a tough fight with Ryan Garcia in 2024. Thurman’s comments are another sign that not everyone is convinced Haney will become a dominant fighter at 147.

Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fight landscape. His reports focus on the most essential fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.

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Last updated: 26/05/2026 at 15:52

Dmitry Bivol will defend two of his three delicate heavyweight world titles on Saturday night, but that doesn’t stop his coach from looking to the future.

Bivol has proven to be the man to beat in the delicate heavyweight division, defeating Canelo Alvarez, Gilberto Ramirez and most recently Artur Beterbiev, establishing the Russian ruler as a star who fights non-stop.

However, David Benavidez’s dominance has put Bivol’s supremacy into question as many fight fans believe that the “Mexican Monster” has the aggressive style necessary to defeat the well-rounded champion – especially after witnessing him win in a third weight class.

Following his own victory over “Zurdo” Ramirez at cruiserweight, Benavidez announced that he intends to step down to resume his reign as WBC delicate heavyweight champion, with the first fight on his list being an undisputed bout with Bivol.

Talking to MISCELLANEOUSThe Russian’s coach Gennady Mashyanov confirmed that they want the same, assuming that they will leave Michael Eifert unscathed this weekend.

“My personal target right now is Benavidez – who, let’s say, talks a lot. We’ll see what he’s really capable of. I’d like him to stop talking. For that to happen, someone has to get in the ring with him and shut him up for good.”

The Bivol-Eifert event will take place on Saturday, May 30 at the UMMC Arena in Yekaterinburg, Russia, and can be viewed live on DAZN, supported by a subcard depicting a group of Russian fighters. Bivol will defend the IBF and WBA belts, but the WBO will not be on the line after the sanctioning body refused to fight due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. However, Bivol will not be stripped and will be able to defend the belt in his next fight.