Tyson Fury has weighed in on Oleksandr Usyk’s upcoming clash against Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, with whom he has previously shared multiple rounds of sparring.
It was announced last month that the Ukrainian will face Verhoeven on May 23, headlining a Ring Magazine card at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza.
Initially, it was thought that Usyk’s three world titles would not be on the line, only for the WBC to later announce that it will sanction the contest.
Verhoeven has therefore leapfrogged a selection of worthy contenders, including Agit Kabayel and Lawrence Okolie, by securing a world title shot in only his second professional boxing contest.
His first outing arrived in 2014, when the decorated kickboxer scored a second-round finish over Janos Finfera, who had entered their bout with a record of 0-5.
In stark contrast to his next opponent, Usyk has cemented himself as the greatest heavyweight boxer of this era, boasting two wins over Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, respectively.
The masterful southpaw has not fought since July, though, when he became a three-time, two-division undisputed champion by stopping Dubois in the fifth round.
But despite only fighting once last year, many remain convinced that Usyk will handily defeat Verhoeven and successfully defend his WBC title.
Fury, who trained with Verhoeven while under the tutelage of Peter Fury, has told Gareth A Davis that his former foe should ultimately take care of business but that Verhoeven’s power gives him a chance of causing a huge upset.
“[Verhoeven’s] a big man, isn’t he? Big right hand. [But] I’m sure Usyk’s faced plenty of right-handed people who can knock people out, i.e. Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois.
“He’s fought a lot of big men with a similar style to Rico but, listen, [Verhoeven’s] a big man, he’s got a chance, he’s got power… Who knows what he can do in there?
“Usyk’s, what is he, 39 years old now? But the thing with him is he’s only had 24 [professional] fights; he doesn’t have a lot of mileage on the clock.
“And he turned pro in late 2013, so I think he’s going to be alright.”
Fury suffered two points defeats to Usyk in 2024, with their first encounter ending in a split decision after ‘The Gypsy King’ found himself on the receiving end of a ninth-round knockdown.