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Is “Hit and Don’t Get Get” still profitable? Eddie Hearn discusses Turki Alalshikh’s emphasis on more engaging boxing fights

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Image: Is "Hit and Don't Get Hit" Still Profitable? Eddie Hearn Discusses Turki Alalshikh's Push for More Engaging Boxing Bouts

Eddie Hearn answered this week to Turk’s comments Alalshikha about the fact that they no longer want to support fighters who simply run in the ring, without pulling on his seasonal cards in Riyadh.

Hearn partly defended defensive fighters, saying that boxing is “sweet science” “hit-and get hit”. However, Hearn claims that there is a “balance of skills and entertainment,” and the fighters must do it to make them exported.

Hearn on the ban on Turki runners

In the case of Turk’s directive, in order not to include runners in his events, fighters must be ready to risk hitting his cards. Hearn has several runners who are trying to turn into stars, and wants them to be on Turki’s pages. If they cannot meet his requirements, then on them. For those who do not adapt to boxing, they are exhausted.

“You have to do a mixture well. Ultimately, this is a sweet science. Hit and do not go. We understand, but it is also an entertainment business,” said Eddie Hearn Fight Hub tvResponding to Alalshikh’s Turks, saying that he no longer wants to fight the type of “Tom and Jerry” on his Riyadh season cards.

Turki explained very much in his position. He wants to engage fighters. There is no mixture, as Hearn says. He wants fighters who placed it on the line. He tries to save boxing and he can’t do it if his cards have fighters who run away all night.

Hearn has several runners that he must remain steadfast, Shakur Stevenson and Richardson Hitchins; That is why he is cautious about what he says and does not quite agree with Turk’s desire to entertain the fighters. He can’t just lose Hitchins and Shakur, but they don’t meet the requirements to be electrifying for fans.

Defense of “Sweet Science” Hearna

“So people do not want to watch, or a very tiny minority of the audience. And they are very well-educated boxing people. They don’t really want to watch the defensive defensive class of a guy winning every round, and he doesn’t really respect himself, showing aggression, trying to end the fight at any time,” Hearn said.

Fans who like to watch movement and the style of impact, prefer these warriors to mix it more. However, they also appreciate this approach. Unfortunately, there are not enough of them to justify having them on the main cards.

Fans will tolerate runners if they are buried in pre -sight pre -sight, outside the mind, but not on the main cards. When fans buy PPV events, they don’t want to watch the runner. Most fans are not muddy. So, when they pay for a boxing card, they spend money that they could employ for other things, such as needs. Hearn has no contact with this type of person.

“It’s very tough. If you have an smart conversation with a warrior. If they know that they can win every round box, I can’t really go, I really can’t go to the warrior and go:” Look, buddy. I know you are a great boxer and I can win every round, but I really need to change your style, stand and trade, “said Hearn.

As a promoter, Hearna’s task is to tell their warriors that they have to change their style if they are uninteresting because they cannot sell. What’s more, it looks bad when fans boom or sit quietly without reacting to running. We all saw Shakur Stevenson’s fights with electrician Josh Padley and Edwin de los Santos. These are uninteresting fights. Hearn must have an “smart conversation” with his warriors if they are not entertaining.

Turk’s vision: End Runners

“They will look at me as if I was furious. But in reality, if you are not entertaining, you will become tough sales. And if you become tough sales, you can start a shortage of possibilities, especially in vast fights,” said Hearn. “And his Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] In a sense, put your flag on the sand there and said: “If you don’t have fun, I don’t want you on my programs.”

Hearn must tell his fighters, Shakur Stevenson and Richardson Hitchins. If they want to be included in the Turki cards, they must mix it. He should not take care of whether they look at him, as if he were crazy when he tells them to stop running, standing in his pocket and fought. If they want to get vast bags that Turks pay, they will listen to Hearn and agree.

Hearn should not feel guilty, telling them what they have to do. If they don’t like it, it’s on them. I don’t see Shakur deciding to change his style to become more aggressive. It can’t and not.

Hearna fighters must adapt

Stevenson knows that he is too feeble and penniless offensive to defeat William Zepeda and almost every good lightweight. There is no other choice but to escape. Shakur also has a gigantic ego and will feel that Turki will still want to employ it, even if he threw Louis Armstrong stadium at Queens next month. If Turki decides to exclude him, Hearn will get stuck with him. Shakur will not be joyful fighting to change Chump on smaller programs.

“But everyone is different. You also reach the stage in your career. Floyd [Mayweather Jr] He was a good example. And probably Canelo is now, where if I can have an effortless night and earn a huge amount of money, it is called Great Business, “said Hearn.

Turki is still ready to pay Canelo for his cards, but if he continues to work as he did against William Scull, there would be no shock if he was excluded because he is no longer entertaining. Canelo’s last three fights were uninteresting because he lacked gas after the first quarter of the battle. He didn’t try to play safely. Fortunately, Mayweather is still not fighting because his fights have become incredibly uninteresting when he reached 30 years. He made a minimum to win and pass at the speed of his hand, movement and careful equipping. Ultimately, Floyd chose Cherry all the time and none of his fights was entertaining.

“This does not mean that if I am called to go to the trenches, I am not prepared to go there. Canelo is a great example,” said Hearn. “If he were called, he would go to the trenches against Crawford, he will do it. But I tell you what. He would rather get without a trace on his face and say:” Thank you very much. “

Canelo is elderly and has shown in the last few fights that he can mix it only for three rounds before fatigue. The point is not that he deliberately plays it safely. There is no fuel tank to be challenging to fight for more than three rounds. He doesn’t try to be uninteresting like Richardson Hitchins, Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson. He can’t fight challenging because of his age and cardio problems.

“And there is nothing bad about it. It’s an smart business, but it’s good that it is a mixture. After all, Floyd, at his own discretion, robbed the bank every time he fought. He entered there and won each round, he was not hit. Thank you very much. Thank you very much that there must be a mixture. I just don’t think Richardson. [Hitchins] He is a uninteresting warrior at all, “said Hearn.

The price of uninteresting boxing

Hearn sailed away from the original point. It’s about Turks Alalshikh, saying that he doesn’t want safety fighters on his Riyada seasonal cards. Fighters who have uninteresting styles, such as Mayweather Jr., have nothing to do with this era. It is a relic from the time before the Internet. Turki pays checks for fighters and wants artists. If this means hearna warriors, Richardson Hitchins and Shakur Stevenson, they are not invited to his events, so it is. Hearn cannot sell these Turk fighters if he doesn’t want uninteresting fighters at his events.

The sale of tickets for the event on July 12 next month is supposedly feeble, and Shakur is a factor. Why should Turks want a warrior known for his uninteresting style to be on his cards if fans think he is uninteresting and can’t sell tickets? This means that Hearn wasted his money by signing Shakur and since signing it has no value. Once he fought for Hearn against Josh Padley, a tiny warrior without power, not a world -class.

“Is he a boxer champion? Of course. Is he a chance and is exchanged a beard in the air? Not really,” said Hearn.

Hitchins is also known for its uninteresting style and has been booed in recent fights. You would not expect Hearn to talk about it because he promotes Hitchins. He does not intend to criticize him, but his performances are often uninteresting. Hearn chose George Cambosos as his opponent, not pretenders who would potentially beat Hitchins or make him look bad, like Subriel Matias.

Last updated 12.06.2025

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Rico Verhoeven reacts to the loss of Oleksandr Usyk

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Image: Rico Verhoeven Reacts To Usyk Loss: “I’m Here To Stay”

Rico Verhoeven insists he has proven he belongs in boxing despite an 11th-round loss to Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night in Egypt.

The former kickboxing champion pushed Usyk much harder than many expected before the referee stepped in tardy in the fight. At the time of the stoppage, two judges had the fight even at 95-95, with the third having Verhoeven ahead 96-94.


“Yeah, it sucks. I felt like I was so close to shocking the world,” Rico Verhoeven told DAZN Boxing after the fight.

“I want to stay here. I think I showed the world that I can definitely box. Even as a kickboxer they told me, ‘Who is this guy? He can’t do anything. It’ll be four or five rounds,’ but I think after four or five rounds we were pretty even in terms of results.”

“So I think it was a crazy, crazy performance. I felt like I was so close to winning, but it is what it is.”

Verhoeven entered the fight as the main underdog against the undefeated unified heavyweight champion, but his physical pressure, size and willingness to trade caused Usyk to struggle during several early and middle rounds.

The performance immediately changed the discussion about Verhoeven’s future in boxing.

Rather than treat the fight as a one-off, the Dutch heavyweight later made it clear that he planned to continue boxing despite the defeat. His comments also reflected the fierceness of the fight before Usyk finally took control in the championship rounds and forced a stoppage.

For much of the fight, Verhoeven looked much more comfortable than many expected against one of boxing’s greatest champions.

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Last updated: 23/05/2026 at 20:20

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Rico Verhoeven speaks out about the referee stopping Usyk’s fight one second before the end of the round

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Rico Verhoeven speaks out on referee stopping Usyk fight with one second left in the round

Rico Verhoeven commented on the controversial break in the match after the defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.

Verhoeven challenged heavyweight king Usyk at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, and despite most expecting a huge mismatch before the fight, the Dutchman came within a whisker of arguably the biggest upset in boxing history.

The kickboxing legend did enough to win multiple rounds heading into the final stages, with the underdog Usyk struggling to cope with his unconventional opponent.

Usyk finally found the shot he needed when he dropped his opponent at the end of the 11th round, and although Verhoeven managed to get up, the Ukrainian attacked again. led to referee Mark Lyson stopping the fight. Many fans – as well as Verhoevens’ team – were outraged by this decision.

After the fight, Verhoeven shared his thoughts on Lyson, who waved it off, saying he felt he deserved to fight longer.

“I thought it was an early break. It’s not up to me. I believe the referee knows we’re almost at the end of the round, whether he lets me go to the target or let the bell ring… it was close and I thought we were equal on the scorecards.”

Vehoeven was humble at the time when asked if he deserved a rematch.

“It’s not up to me, it’s up to the organization, let’s see what happens.”

It is unknown whether the second fight will actually take place, as the WBC has already ordered Usyk to face mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel next, under threat of being stripped of his belt.

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Glory in Giza Preview: Full Card List Usyk vs. Verhoeven

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Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk will defend his WBC title against former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven on Saturday, May 23 at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt. The card, branded “Glory in Giza” and promoted by Matchroom, is streaming globally on DAZN pay-per-view and is priced at $59.99 in the United States and £24.99 in the United Kingdom, according to data ESPN. This is the first professional boxing event organized in this historic place. The main card will start at 2:00 PM ET, with main events taking place around 5:48 PM ET and 10:48 PM BST. Below is a fight-by-fight breakdown of the lineup.

Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven, heavyweight, WBC title

Usyk (24-0, 15 KO) will make his first appearance since a fifth-round stoppage of Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in July 2025, which restored his undisputed status. The 39-year-old Ukrainian holds the WBC, WBA and IBF belts, but only the WBC championship is at stake. The WBA and IBF declined to sanction the fight because Verhoeven is unclassified. Nevertheless, the IBF granted Usyk an exception to compete in what it classified as an unsanctioned competition, with conditions attached: if Usyk lost, the IBF title would be considered vacant, while the WBA indicated that it would retain Usyk as champion regardless of the result. result.

Verhoeven enters the fight with a 1-0 professional boxing record, his lone fight ending in a second-round stoppage of winless Janos Finfera in 2014. The 36-year-old Dutchman held the GLORY heavyweight title for more than 11 years before vacating it in November, and his kickboxing record stands at 66-10 with 21 knockouts. He is 6-foot-10, weighs about 270 pounds and is trained for the fight under Peter Fury, who cornered Tyson Fury in his 2015 victory over Wladimir Klitschko. Verhoeven described his crossover as a stylistic problem that Usyk had not faced. “I will bring something different to the table that he hasn’t seen before,” he said. “He has analyzed the sport of boxing like no one else, but he doesn’t know about the kickboxer who will box.”

Usyk described the fight as a voluntary defense on his own terms after years of mandatory and unification commitments, telling reporters that “size doesn’t matter” while calling Verhoeven a “risky guy.” The consensus among observers definitely favors the champion. Usyk is a 30-1 favorite and the over/under in completed rounds is 5.5. On his podcast, Teddy Atlas acknowledged that Verhoeven has a kickboxing pedigree but dismissed his prospects in the boxing ring, noting that the Dutchman’s high guard and upright stance could leave him open to Usyk’s combinations. The full breakdown, including Atlas’ comments, appeared in Boxing Insider’s fight week coverage.

Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Alem Begic for the vacant WBO super middleweight title

In this joint fight, Hamzah Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KO) and undefeated Alem Begic (29-0-1) will fight for the vacant WBO super middleweight title. Sheeraz, 26, fell miniature in his only previous attempt at a world title – a middleweight draw before he started moving up in weight. Begic, a 39-year-old German, faces world-class challenges for the first time. The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds.

Jack Catterall vs. Shakhram Giyasov for the vacant WBA welterweight title

Jack Catterall (32-2, 14 KO) and Shakhram Giyasov (17-0, 10 KO) will fight for the vacant WBA welterweight title. Catterall, 32, of Chorley, England, is ranked No. 1 by the WBO at the weight and is coming off an 11th-round knockout of Ekow Essuman in November. He chose the fight rather than wait to fight WBO champion Devin Haney. Giyasov, a 31-year-old Uzbek and former Olympic silver medalist, is a top contender for the WBA title and last fought in November, defeating Mark Urvanov in four rounds. The WBA organization approved the fight for the vacant title after elevating Rolando Romero to the title of super champion.

Frank Sanchez vs. Richard Torrez Jr., heavyweight

Frank Sanchez (25-1, 18 KO), a 33-year-old Cuban known as “The Cuban Flash”, will fight undefeated American Richard Torrez Jr. for 10 rounds. (14-0, 12 KOs). The fight postponed the IBF heavyweight qualifying match originally scheduled for March 28, but was postponed after Sanchez suffered a knee injury. Torrez, a Tokyo Olympic silver medalist, goes up against the more experienced Sanchez in his class in a contender-prospect matchup that has weight in the division’s title picture.

Mizuki Hiruta vs. Mai Soliman for the WBO junior bantamweight title

Mizuki Hiruta (10-0), named The Ring’s female fighter of the year, defends her WBO junior bantamweight title for the seventh time against Egyptian-born Australian Mai Soliman (10-1) over 10 rounds. Hiruta (29) won the belt in her fourth professional fight and remains undefeated. Soliman fights in front of his home crowd.

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In the preliminary part, the lithe heavyweight fight Daniel Lapin (13-0) will face Benjamin Mendes Tani (9-1) over 10 rounds, and the regional championship belts will be at stake. Basem Mamdouh (10-2) meets Jamar Talley (6-0) in the cruiserweight division, and the remaining fights combine domestic and international prospects: Mahmoud Mobark against Michael Kalyalya, Omar Hikal against Ali Sserunkuma and Sultan Almohammed against Dedy Imprax.

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