Author: Sean Crose

Perhaps none of us should be surprised by what happened in Egypt tonight. Oleksandr Usyk, the undisputed heavyweight king, had the fight of his life against Dutch kickboxer and virtual boxing newcomer Rico Verhoeven against the backdrop of the Great Pyramids of this country. It was supposed to be a novel fight, but Verhoeven took all the novelty out of it and turned it into a real fight. Much of this is due to the Dutchman, who rose to the challenge even though he lost after a controversial break in the 11th round.

On Saturday he was something, Rico was. Oddly enough, he reminded me of those elderly Jack Dempsey movies with that crouching position, his jumping and weaving, and his effective aggression. He seemed to land more often than Usuk until the very end when the lineal champion went down and then broke his determined Dutch foil. This stoppage was reminiscent of Larry Holmes’ stoppage of Ronaldo Snipes in 1981. This particular stoppage featured an all-time great champion and challenger who drastically exceeded expectations. Sound familiar? Snipes, however, was a talented boxer. This was Rico’s second appearance as a conventional boxer. They may have a lot in common, but Saturday’s stoppage was more stunning than Holmes’ 1981 stoppage of Snipes.

Of course, this isn’t the first time an established and celebrated boxer has found himself in a scary situation with a newcomer. A few years ago, Tyson Fury fell and was almost defeated by Francis Ngannou. And let’s not forget the pathetic image of a devastated Evander Holyfield caught by an MMA fighter. This wasn’t shocking though, as everyone knew it was all over at Holyfield. This aging champion was past his best and probably shouldn’t have returned to the ring to begin with.

Saturday was completely different. Usyk may not be a newborn man anymore, but he’s certainly not a spent fighter. However, it looks like its best days are behind it. It’s challenging to blame the man for almost losing to the likes of Rico when he twice defeated the likes of Tyson Fury, Anthony, Joshua and Daniel Dubois. Usyk has some biography and, as I mentioned earlier, he had the right to fight a supposedly uncomplicated fight. This fight, however, did not turn out to be so uncomplicated. Sure, Usyk won, but he certainly didn’t look good doing it.

This leads to the idea that one day, sooner rather than later, a top fighter like Usyk or someone like him will lose an vital, creative fight. In boxing, you can only play with fire many times and it is only a matter of time before an MMA fighter, former boxer or YouTuber, or someone else, beats an established boxer at his own game. That friends won’t be a good night for boxing. However, don’t expect these creative fights to stop. There is too much money at stake for anyone to put an end to this. Moreover, many boxers still consider such endeavors to be uncomplicated work.

If someone is going to fight in an creative fight, they should follow Anthony Joshua’s example of how to efficiently deal with a tough and talented, but inexperienced opponent. When he faced Ngannou after Fury did, he absolutely, definitely beat the man. Ngannou landed flat on his back. Why? Because Joshua took everything seriously. Boxing needs to grow up and realize that sometimes a complete underdog can beat the reigning king.

I will repeat once again that it is only a matter of time.

Nqothole (22-3, 13 KO) won by scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 116-113 after controlling most of the contest with his jab, footwork and cleaner work from distance. The South African arrived on foreign soil as an underdog but looked sturdy during long stretches against the former WBC flyweight champion.

Edwards (21-3, 7 KO) struggled to establish a consistent attack in the first half of the fight and spent most of the night reacting to Nqothole’s movements and timing. Whenever Edwards tried to close the distance, Nqothole often managed to move away and respond with keen counters.

The Englishman had more success slow in the fight and rose to the top during the championship rounds. He landed some of the cleaner punches in the closing stages of the match and tried to force action, but there was a significant deficit on the scorecards in the first rounds.

Nqothole’s performance was noteworthy as it did not benefit from the home advantage. The judges rewarded the guest’s work, and most of the unofficial scorecards were in line with the official verdict.

This victory will make Nqothole the mandatory challenger for the IBF super flyweight title. He is expected to face the winner of the June 6 championship fight between Willibaldo Garcia and Andrew Moloney later this year.

For Edwards, the defeat marks yet another setback in a career that has seen both championship success and frustrating near-misses. At the age of 33, he entered the fight with the hope that he was one victory away from winning his second world title. Instead, he leaves York Hall after his third professional defeat, with his path back to championship contention looking much more hard than it was a week ago.

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are set to have a shocking rematch in September, and now Mayweather’s former opponent Canelo Alvarez has revealed his thoughts ahead of the fight.

Mayweather famously trained Canelo in 2013 and followed that up with a back-to-back victory over Marcos Maidana ahead of his long-awaited showdown with tough rival Pacquiao.

“TBE” maintained his undefeated record against the Filipino fan favorite in 2015, but now the two are set to repeat it 11 years later, with the fresh date being Saturday, September 26, which is currently being advertised – after long debates as to whether the competition will be a fully sanctioned competition or an exhibition.

The fight was met with mixed reactions, with some fight fans ecstatic to see the legends getting back together, while others felt disappointed that they felt the need to do so at the ages of 49 and 47.

Speaking to Boxing News, Canelo seemed disinterested in the event, admitting he didn’t like their first meeting and suggesting a second one was even less likely.

“I can’t say anything about it. I didn’t like the first part. So we’ll see [in] second, if worse [they both are]”

Mayweather and Pacquiao aren’t the only fighters returning this fall, with Canelo also ending a less dramatic period of inactivity when on Saturday, September 12, he will fight for the WBC super middleweight title against Christian Mbilla.