Oleksandr Usyk’s performance against Rico Verhoeven continues to divide opinion, but John Fury believes the Ukrainian deserves much more recognition than he received after their heavyweight clash.

Usyk defended his WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles following an 11th-round victory over Verhoeven last month, although the result sparked debate after the Dutchman enjoyed considerable success throughout the competition.

Verhoeven had a slight advantage on one judge’s scorecard after 10 rounds, while the other two judges fought even at 95-95. Usyk eventually turned the tide with a right uppercut that knocked down the former kickboxing champion before referee Mark Lyson waved off the fight once the round had already ended.

Despite the criticism directed at Usyk’s performance, John Fury emphasized that the three-time undisputed champion should not be judged too harshly.

“No, you know, because ultimately he created problems. He’s a 6-foot-6 athlete, he trains like a demon, he’s as robust as a bull, and he plays like a badger. He’s going to cause problems. World kickboxing champion. I don’t know who said he doesn’t have a chance,” John told Secondsout about Usyk’s fight with the much larger Verhoeven.

Fury also pointed to a size disadvantage that Usyk has consistently overcome since moving up from cruiserweight.

“You have to give Usyk credit because he’s just a cruiserweight that’s blowing up, you know, and he’s won heavyweight titles, right? But you know what? He just seems to have done his job, right? And he’s done his job. So fair game to Usyk.”

However, Fury remained critical of the controversial ending, arguing that Verhoeven’s corner should have been used to determine whether their fighter was able to continue in the final round.

Verhoeven has since called for a rematch, although Usyk’s immediate future remains uncertain. The undefeated champion has been ordered by the WBC to make a mandatory defense against Agit Kabayel, and failure to do so could jeopardize his title reign.

Olly Campbell is a boxing journalist covering this sport since 2014, providing reports from the ring and technical analyzes of the most critical fights. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments and the details that shape high-level competition.

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Last update: 2026/06/12 at 13:57

Jesse Rodriguez isn’t looking to crown himself boxing’s pound-for-pound king just yet, admitting that Naoya Inoue and Oleksandr Usyk should be higher than him on the charts.

On achievement alone, it’s strenuous to dispute the 26-year-old’s assessment, given that both Inoue and Usyk have become undisputed two-division champions.

However, based on recent performances, it could be argued that ‘Bam’ has been a bit strenuous on himself, especially considering Usyk’s needy performance against Rico Verhoeven last month.

Rodriguez, on the other hand, secured decisive stoppages against Phumelela Cafu and Fernando Martinez last year to become the unified 115-pound champion.

Thanks to this momentum, he now has a chance to become a three-division world champion against Antonio Vargas, whom he will face next Saturday for the WBA bantamweight title.

If he emerges victorious, Rodriguez will be ready to face super bantamweight king Inoue, whom he called a top fighter in the sport.

Elsewhere on his list, “Bam” admitted that four-division world champion Shakur Stevenson also ranks above him, solely based on his unanimous decision victory over Teofimo Lopez in January.

Disclosure of this information during a media conference with several outlets, including: Fighting the noiseRodriguez admitted that Usyk also deserves a place in the top three.

“I think I’m in fourth place. I was in third place, but after Shakur won [against] Teofimo, I feel I have no choice but to put him in third place.

“So I have Inoue first, Usyk second, Shakur [at three] and then myself [at four]”

Rodriguez, while not doing enough to finish in the top three, will certainly change his mind if he can beat Inoue, who he could face in slow 2026 or early next year.

Six months after World Boxing News asked whether DAZN could realistically find twelve pay-per-view events in one calendar year, the streaming giant has already managed to secure ten.

When DAZN launched its Ultimate Tier package, the promise immediately stood out.

Subscribers paying more than $500 a year were told they would receive at least twelve premium events.

At the time, the goal seemed ambitious, if not downright unrealistic. Even in the golden years of pay-per-view boxing, HBO rarely managed to churn out more than six to eight bona fide blockbusters a year.

Rapid forward to June, and DAZN is just two events away from fulfilling its biggest promise.

There are currently ten events organized or scheduled under Ultimate available on the platform.

Ten down, two to go

The list includes Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson, Ryan Garcia vs. Mario Barrios, Deontay Wilder vs. Derek Chisora, David Benavidez vs. Gilberto Ramirez, Daniel Dubois vs. Fabio Wardley, Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven, Tommy Fury vs. Eddie Hall, Xander Zayas vs. Jaron Ennis, Anthony Joshua vs. Kristian Prenga and Canelo Alvarez vs. Christian M’billi.

On paper, DAZN did exactly what it promised. But whether or not each event feels like a pay-per-view is where the debate begins.

Back in April, WBN evaluated the first six events and found that several of them struggled to earn the premium label, despite the platform’s efforts to fill the schedule.

Since then, this argument has not completely disappeared.

Not all PPVs are created equal

Of the ten events announced so far, there are undoubtedly more than a few that many fans would hardly describe as time-honored pay-per-view attractions.

Fury vs. Hall, billed as “Beauty and the Beast,” is likely to have the greatest coverage since the launch of DAZN Ultimate. The pairing of a reality television personality turned boxer with a former World’s Strongest Man may raise curiosity, but it remains a far cry from the event that has defined pay-per-view boxing in the past.

The US price of $59.99 only fuels the debate.

While British viewers benefit from the much cheaper Ultimate package, American customers face much higher monthly costs, even though many events are built primarily with British audiences in mind.

“Joshua vs. Prenga falls into a similar category, with the Dubois vs. Wardley fight also attracting much more interest in the UK than across the Atlantic.

Even the Usyk vs. Verhoeven fight, despite the fact that the heavyweight champion of the world took part in the fight, could always cause divisions of opinion due to the crossover nature of the fight.

The argument changes

DAZN may have already answered the original question.

The platform has shown that it is possible to achieve twelve premium events after combining Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Top Rank, BOXXER, Eye of the Tiger and Salita Promotions under the same umbrella.

The debate is no longer whether DAZN will find twelve PPVs. The question is whether all twelve deserve the label.

Currently, the schedule appears to be something like a 50:50 split between truly transatlantic events and cards that focus primarily on one market or the other.

However, American subscribers still pay significantly more than their British subscribers.

This imbalance could draw more scrutiny if DAZN reaches the promised top 12.

For now, though, some credit is due as many doubted DAZN would be able to find ten pay-per-view events, let alone twelve.

DAZN has largely delivered on its promise. The real argument begins with whether all ten deserved the label.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.