Tony Bellew believes Rico Verhoeven could give Oleksandr Usyk some awkward moments early in the fight, but he still expects the undefeated heavyweight champion to eventually work him out once the fight turns into a boxing match. Bellew also warned that Verhoeven’s kickboxing background makes him much more hazardous than many boxing fans realize.

“If this was a kickboxing match, I’m telling you, Oleksandr would be in huge trouble. Don’t kick him,” Bellew told DAZN Boxing. “Fortunately for Oleksandr Usyk, this is a boxing fight. I think once the first three or four rounds pass and Oleksandr Usyk sees the awkwardness, the attitude and the style, I think Rico may have a night of tough work ahead of him.”

“Rico Verhoeven is a problem. He is a problem and we don’t really know much about him from a boxing point of view. We don’t really know anything. He had one fight and you can’t get anything out of it at all. His kickboxing experience tells you an awful lot.

Bellew said during an interview leading up to the Usyk-Verhoeven fight that Verhoeven’s unconventional style could create arduous moments before Usyk starts making changes.

“You would forgive him for thinking this guy was a kickboxer. I won’t have to be 100% ready to beat this guy like Tyson Fury thought he was against Francis Ngannou,” Bellew said. “Or maybe he’ll take the Anthony Joshua approach where you go in there and say, ‘This is a grave fight. I’ve got to get rid of him.’

“I don’t think he’ll be taken lightly. Usyk is a consummate professional. He’s a conscientious professional. You’ll never catch this guy sleeping. You have to get out of bed really, really early to catch him.”

Bellew still made it clear that he sees Usyk eventually taking control once he gathers enough information during the fight.

“I think this fight will be very invigorating for six, seven, maybe eight rounds. I think Oleksandr will take a look at Rico. He will see what he is doing. He will find out what the feints will do to him and which side he will take him on.”

“Once he’s got it all, he’ll get rid of Verhoeven. He’ll just have too much and that’s the end of it. He’s doing the same to everyone else,” Bellew said.

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

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Last updated: 18/05/2026 at 23:10

Robert Garcia doubts whether Errol Spence Jr will be able to rediscover the qualities that made him one of the “best players” in the sport from 2019 to 2022.

“The Truth” was once considered the top 10-pound-for-pound operator when he dethroned Shawn Porter and Yordenis Ugas to unify the WBC, IBF and WBA welterweight titles

Around this time, many even predicted he would beat Terence Crawford, and only he did they lost their uncontested clash after a one-sided stoppage in the ninth round in 2023

Spence has remained out of the ring since then, but now plans to revive his career with a fight against Tim Tszyu, a former world champion, on July 25.

The pair will face off in Australia at the 158-pound catchweight, and Tszyu will have the home advantage as he too looks to reclaim his place on the world stage.

His last appearance at the world level ended with a defeat in the seventh round against Sebastian Fundora, who ended their first meeting in 2024 with a split decision.

That same year, Tszyu came close to a devastating third-round victory over Bakhram Murtazaliev, but is now coming off back-to-back victories following his rematch with Fundora last July.

Spence, on the other hand, seems to be taking quite a risk by jumping right into a perceived 50/50 conflict, with top coach Garcia telling him: ESNEWS that the 36-year-old would be forgiven for taking a “preparatory fight”.

“Errol Spence was a damn tough guy – one of the best players.

“When he fought Crawford, you could tell it wasn’t the Errol Spence we were used to, he didn’t look good at all.

“Three years later, he wants to return to boxing – and he has no intention of starting [with] tuning fight. I think he doesn’t know what’s left for him and if he improves the situation he could get his ass kicked.

– That’s probably why [made] decision to directly enter into a fight with Tim Tszyu. If he’s fresh and good, he can win.

As Garcia points out, there is no way to know how much Spence has left due to inactivity, which is a immense part of what makes this such an intriguing matchup with Tszyu.

According to Reform UK’s Nigel Farage, Tyson Fury has been asked to stand reports from LBC and Paper i.

LBC reported that sources close to both the former unified heavyweight champion and the party confirmed that Fury was not interested in politics. The same report shows that Reform UK and Fury have been contacted for comment.

The context of the approach

The reports come as Reform UK prepares for a by-election in Makerfield, Greater Manchester, triggered by the resignation of Labor MP Josh Simons to make way for Andy Burnham. In the local elections held earlier this month, Reform won the eight Makerfield wards with 50.4% of the vote, Labor on 22.7% and the Greens on just under 11%, according to LBC.

Farage said the party would “throw absolutely everything” at the seat, LBC reported, and was looking for huge names to spearhead its campaign in the region.

Fury’s previous political interests

This isn’t the first time Fury’s name has been linked to a political campaign. In 2015 he told the BBC he wanted to become MP for Morecambe and intended to stand as an independent MP. “I want to make a change for the better where I live,” Fury said at the time, according to an LBC summary of earlier remarks. “I believe I will succeed because I have an influence on the city’s inhabitants.”

This campaign never came to fruition. Fury, now 37, lived in Morecambe, Lancashire, for about 17 years before moving to the Isle of Man last year, citing privacy and security.

Back to the Ring

Fury returned from a 16-month absence on April 10, taking a unanimous decision over Arslanbek Makhmudov. He then called Anthony Joshua to the ring and reports have since pointed to a Q4 2026 meeting between the two British heavyweights backed by Turki Alalshikh and Ring Magazine.

Reform UK has not publicly named a candidate for the Makerfield by-election.