Boxing

Usyk-Rico Aftermath: The Day Is Coming When a Top Boxer Loses a Novel Fight.

Published

3 months ago

May 30, 2026

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.

Boxing

Evander Holyfield Reveals Knockout Artist Who Could Defeat Oleksandr Usyk

Published

3 hours ago

August 21, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Evander Holyfield Reveals Knockout Artist Who Could Defeat Oleksandr Usyk

Evander Holyfield was unsure who to favour in a fantasy showdown between Oleksandr Usyk and one of his former rivals.

Like Holyfield, Usyk became the consensus top dog at 200lbs before moving up to heavyweight and, once again, cementing himself as the very best.

Even while contending with a notable size disadvantage, the Ukrainian was able to dethrone Anthony Joshua before eventually becoming the undisputed king against Tyson Fury.

Having twice beaten the two Brits, Usyk is now widely regarded as one of the all-time greats, among the likes of HolyfieldMuhammad Ali and Joe Louis.

At the same time, though, Holyfield is not convinced that the unbeaten southpaw would have defeated a prime Mike Tyson.

‘The Real Deal’ fought ‘Iron’ Mike in 1996, causing a sizable upset by stopping the formidable puncher in round 11, before winning their immediate rematch via an infamous third-round disqualification.

And while this was not even the most formidable version of Tyson, Holyfield would nonetheless back his former foe to defeat the majority of heavyweights throughout history.

When it comes to a clash with Usyk, however, the American has told Daily Mail Boxing that he would struggle to predict a winner.

“I don’t exactly know [who would win] that one.”

Like Usyk, Tyson was never the biggest heavyweight but, because of his speed and explosiveness he was able to win his first 19 fights by knockout and become a dominant world champion during the late 1980s.

Usyk, on the other hand, relies more on his technical prowess and, against Tyson, would need to be almost punch-perfect in order to emerge victorious.

Boxing

Ryan Garcia Backs Fighter to Defeat Shakur Stevenson in Exciting Boxing Showdown

Published

1 day ago

August 20, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Ryan Garcia Backs Fighter to Defeat Shakur Stevenson in Exciting Boxing Showdown

Ryan Garcia has named the fighter that he believes can put an end to Shakur Stevenson’s 25-fight undefeated record.

Stevenson stepped up in weight to dominate Teofimo Lopez and claim the WBO super-lightweight title back in Januaryfully intending on returning to his natural lightweight division during the aftermath, until those plans were derailed when he was stripped of his 135lb title.

As a result, Stevenson has kept hold of his 140lb marble but has not fought since, despite links to a showdown with Garcia in spring, which collapsed when the Newark southpaw declared that he would not be willing to move up in weight once again.

Now, Garcia is scheduled to face Conor Benn next month, whilst Stevenson has recently signed with Zuffa Boxing and is searching for an opponent for his second outing of 2026.

Speaking to FightHypeGarcia revealed that he would favour IBF lightweight world champion Raymond Muratalla to come out on top if he and Stevenson collide.

“That would be a good a** fight. He [Muratalla] is smart, he is not going to just go in there and just [be reckless].

“I just think that Raymond has a lot of things that would give Shakur problems. It won’t be an easy fight for Shakur, that is for sure.

“[If it was] a three-round fight, I would give it to Shakur, even a six-round fight. A 12-round fight? I am siding with Muratalla.”

Muratalla is set to vacate his IBF crown and move into the super-lightweight division imminently, with the WBO having recently stated that he could be named as Stevenson’s mandatory challenger when he does.

Boxing

Jesse Bam Rodriguezs Team Reacts to Naoya Inoues Super Fight Deadline

Published

2 days ago

August 19, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez's Team Reacts to Naoya Inoue's Super Fight Deadline

Robert Garcia, the trainer and manager of Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, has expressed his annoyance with a lack of communication from Team Nayoa Inoue.

‘The Monster’ made a seventh successful defence of his undisputed crown in May, unanimously outpointing Junto Nakatani in their all-Japanese encounter.

As a result, Inoue is not only considered the super-bantamweight king but, on a pound-for-pound metric, many would also place him at the top of the tree.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, made his bantamweight debut in June, becoming a three-division world champion by dethroning WBA champion Antonio Vargas with a sixth-round finish.

While there is much talk surrounding a potential clash between Rodriguez and Inoue, it would seem that no official negotiations have actually taken place.

Or at least, it is far from certain that the pair will square off in March 2027, when Inoue is reportedly looking to stage his next outing. He recently stated that he will not hang around at 122lbs waiting for ‘Bam’, and will move on if the fight does not happen in Q1 of 2027.

On the proposed showdown, coach Garcia has told Ring Magazine that he and ‘Bam’ have no problem with the deadline.

“There’s been talk that Inoue says he’s moving up [to featherweight] sooner than later – that he probably won’t wait [for the Rodriguez fight] past March of next year.

“We’re okay with that, but nobody’s told me that. Nobody from Inoue’s team has approached me saying, ‘Look, Robert. This is what Inoue wants. He wants to know if you guys are interested in the fight’.

“Yeah, we’re interested in the fight. But I’m not trying to change the date. I would love Bam to get one more fight at 118[lbs].”

Garcia went on to name WBO bantamweight champion Christian Medina as the ideal opponent for Rodriguez in November, before he hopefully steps up to 122lbs and challenges Inoue.