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.