Boxing

Verhoeven vows to be “a different kind of puzzle” for master Usyk

Published

5 months ago

April 14, 2026

LONDON – Oleksandr Usyk explained Tuesday why he is giving kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven a chance to win the WBC heavyweight title.

“One day I want to do whatever I want,” Usyk, 39, said at a press conference.

The undefeated Ukrainian will not have the WBA and IBF belts on the line when he faces the 37-year-old Dutch kickboxer in a 12-round fight on May 23 at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt.

Usyk, who has not fought since last July’s Wembley Stadium fifth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois, said “a lot of people” have asked why he is fighting a novice while the likes of Agit Kabayel – the WBC interim champion – are waiting in the wings.

“(Verhoeven) is a great guy, a unsafe guy,” Usyk (24-0, 15 KO) said. “A lot of time I do what other people (demand). I say OK, OK, OK – now I do what (I want).”

Verhoeven says Usyk will “fall”. The 6-foot-7 Verhoeven won his only fight as a boxer in 2014. He was a long-time heavyweight kickboxing champion.

He was asked how he would do what no other professional boxer had managed to do – defeat Usyk.

“I’m going to present aspects of kickboxing, present a different type of puzzle,” Verhoeven said. “I’m a large individual. I weigh about 125 kilograms (265 pounds).”

Usyk, a former cruiserweight champion, fights at under 230 pounds and has defeated a number of bigger opponents, including Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

“When I give him my best punch, of course he will fall,” Verhoeven said. “He’s like a trained cruiserweight. I’m like a natural heavyweight. That’s a large difference. It’ll happen if I hit my best shot flawlessly, and if I don’t, we’ll just win.”

Usyk replied: “We’ll see.”

Earlier in the session, Usyk said that “size doesn’t matter” and that he just needs to train and eat.

“Tough training and good pasta – good pasta, double the portion. It’s magic,” he said.

Verhoeven also mentioned British action star Jason Statham as “one of the people who created this opportunity, for which he is very grateful.”

Boxing

Jose Ramirez vs Alexis Rocha Fight Scorecard Analysis

Published

3 hours ago

September 12, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Jose Ramirez vs Alexis Rocha Fight Scorecard Analysis

World Boxing News provides a scorecard as Jose Ramirez faces Alexis Rocha over ten rounds at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Ramirez takes on Rocha in an all-action welterweight clash on the undercard of Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn.

The contest is scheduled for ten three-minute rounds in the welterweight division.

WBN scores every round live below.

Ramirez vs Rocha Scorecard

Jose Carlos Ramirez vs Alexis Rocha

Welterweight
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
10×3

Round	Ramirez	Rocha
Round 1	10	9
Round 2	10	9
Round 3	10	9
Round 4	9	10
Round 5	10	9
Round 6	9	10
Round 7	9	10
Round 8	10	9
Round 9	8	10
Round 10	10	9
WBN Totals:	95	94

Official Result: ROCHA UD – 98-91, 98-91, 97-92

Ramirez vs Rocha Preview

Former unified super lightweight world champion Jose Carlos Ramirez faces Alexis Rocha in a ten-round welterweight contest in Las Vegas.

Ramirez enters the fight looking to rebuild after consecutive defeats, while Rocha arrives following a run that has included three victories and a draw in his last four contests.

The fight forms part of the Garcia vs Benn card at T-Mobile Arena and is available live on Paramount+ and DAZN PPV.

Follow WBN’s live boxing coverage throughout the event.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.

Boxing

Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn Live Results: Las Vegas Showdown Highlights

Published

5 hours ago

September 12, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn Live Results: Las Vegas Showdown Highlights

LIVE COVERAGE

World Boxing News provides live results and updates from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as Ryan Garcia faces Conor Benn for the WBC welterweight title.

Garcia and Benn meet over 12 rounds in the main event, while Jai Opetaia faces Noel Mikaelian in a 12-round cruiserweight clash on the co-feature.

The card also features Mark Magsayo against Andres Cortes, while former unified super lightweight champion Jose Carlos Ramirez takes on Alexis Rocha.

WBN provides live results and updates from every bout as they happen, plus selected scorecards.

Scorecards:

Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn
Jai Obadiah vs. Noel Michaelian
Mark Magsayo vs. Andres Cortes
Da’Mazion Vanhouter vs. Raphael Akpejiori
Jose Ramirez vs. Alexis Rocha

Results

All times are local.

15:32

Jose Ramirez and Alexis Rocha went the distance in Las Vegas, with Rocha taking a unanimous decision despite WBN scoring the fight 95-94 for Ramirez.

WBN had Ramirez winning six of the ten rounds, but a 10-8 ninth round for Rocha tightened the scorecard considerably.

The official judges saw a far wider fight, awarding Rocha the victory by scores of 98-91, 98-91 and 97-92.

14:41

Ryan Garcia’s younger brother Sean Garcia opened the prelims with a six-round points victory over Abraham Morales.

Garcia looked slick at times and scored a third-round knockdown before a point deduction for excessive holding in round five effectively wiped out the advantage.

Garcia remained in control and took the decision 58-54 twice, while judge Patricia Morse Jarman returned an unfathomable 56-56 card.

14:11

Sean Garcia enters the ring for the first bout of the night.

Remaining Bouts

Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn — 12 rounds, welterweight

Jai Opetaia vs Norair Mikaeljan — 12 rounds, cruiserweight

Mark Magsayo vs Andres Cortes — 10 rounds, lightweight

Da’Mazion Vanhouter vs Raphael Akpejiori — 8 rounds, heavyweight

Vlad Panin vs Dakota Linger — 6 rounds, welterweight

Abel Gonzalez vs Raul Salomon — 8 rounds, super middleweight

Oswaldo Molina vs. Pablo Rubio Jr. — 6 rounds, super featherweight

TV Coverage

The prelims begin at 5 p.m. ET, with the main card starting at 8 p.m. ET live on Paramount+.

Follow WBN’s live boxing coverage throughout the event.

About the Author

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.

Boxing

Jeff Mayweather Compares Floyd Mayweather and Terence Crawford: Crawford is a Better Puncher

Published

8 hours ago

September 12, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Jeff Mayweather Compares Floyd Mayweather and Terence Crawford: "Crawford is a Better Puncher"

Both Floyd Mayweather and Terence Crawford hung up the gloves with undefeated records, and Mayweather’s uncle and former trainer Jeff Mayweather has assessed how a battle between the pair, in their primes, would play out.

Mayweather retired as a five-division world champion with a legendary 50-0 undefeated record, defeating the likes of Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao in a career that will be spoke about for decades to come.

Meanwhile, Crawford retired last year after becoming the first post-war three-division undisputed world champion, walking away from the sport with his unbeaten record intact after 42 pro contests and a career best victory over Canelo Alvarez.

Discussing a fantasy fight between the two superstars with Sean ZittelJeff Mayweather shared his love for ‘Bud’ but maintained that he would fancy ‘TBE’ to come out on top.

“It’s one of them fights where fans would probably be split down the middle. Of course, I would choose my nephew [to win] but Terence Crawford is a damn good fighter.

“I don’t just like him as a fighter, I like him as a person, I like the way that he carries himself, what he stands for and what he represents. So I like a lot about Terence Crawford.”

The 62-year-old then went on to admit that Crawford may have been a better puncher than Mayweather, but favoured the elusiveness of his nephew over the aggression of the Omaha-born southpaw.

“If the fight happened and Floyd was in his prime, I think that Floyd would beat him. I think that Terence fights and gets hit a whole lot, I have never seen a fight where Floyd got hit a whole lot.

“Terence Crawford was a better puncher than Floyd, I think, so it’s a fight that either one could win but I’m going with my nephew!”

Crawford has been linked to a comeback in recent dayswith fight fans keen to see the 39-year-old return to action and face unified super-welterweight world champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.