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.

Gervonta Davis appears set to return to the ring later this year, but her opponent is still unconvinced.

Davis hasn’t won a fight since June 2024, referring to his lone appearance last year against Lamont Roach Jr and being inactive for another 14 months due to stern legal issues outside the ring.

This inaction caused the WBA to name Davis lightweight champion on hiatus, but he appeared to vacate the belt entirely following reports that his return would be a super lightweight rematch with Isaac Cruz.

However, the WBA has booked “Tank” to fight number one contender Floyd Schofield, and with the recent news that “Pitbull” Cruz is looking elsewhere for his next fight, it appears he is willing to please the sanctioning body to maintain his status as 135-pound champion.

In an interview with Fighting the noiseSchofield’s father and coach, Floyd Schofield Snr, confirmed that negotiations had begun.

“Trust me, they’re talking on that phone [to PBC] Already. They were already in the qualifiers before [WBA] The ruling came, they negotiated.

“Tank hasn’t said he doesn’t want this fight. They’re in negotiations at the moment, I think they’re seeing if they can meet his demands and what amount he might want, and we’re going to go from there.

“We are waiting for the contract and that is all we are waiting for.”

Davis is expected to return around September, and the 23-year-old Schofield is currently seen as the favorite in the opposite corner as he looks to hand the Baltimore knockout the first loss of his career.

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