When Oleksandr Usyk selected Rico Verhoeven as his next opponent, he signaled that he was no longer taking boxing as seriously as he once did. Although a decorated kickboxing champ, Verhoeven had virtually no professional boxing
experience. On paper he was completely unworthy to fight for a heavyweight title. Usyk, whose career was full of fights against champions and top contenders (usually on the road), believed
that he had earned an easy payday. With Verhoeven he could make another
boatload of money without having to put himself through the psychological
ringer against another top challenger. At least, that was the idea.
Observing
Usyk in the ring on Saturday, one could tell that he didn't approach Verhoeven
with the same level of rigor that had been customary throughout his career. He
entered the fight at a career-high 233.25 lbs. and he didn't look particularly
great on his feet. Missing were his use of angles and timing, both
offensively and especially defensively. He was getting hit with long-range
shots from Verhoeven that he had usually been able to evade.
Now
it's true that as he walked into the ring, there was a significant attack on
Ukraine by Russia, and no doubt that played on his mind. But even if you grant
him some mercy, the fact is he was getting hit in the face round after round by
hard punches. One kept expecting Usyk to round into form, but that didn't
happen.
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Verhoeven (left) and Usyk in an exchange
Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson/Matchroom |
Here is where we give credit to Verhoeven and one of his lead trainers for the
fight, Peter Fury. Fury was the architect of Tyson Fury's upset victory over
Wladimir Klitschko and is a master at
exploiting fighters' weaknesses and tells in the ring.
Fury
and Verhoeven had an agreement. Whenever Usyk landed something hard, Verhoeven
would come charging back with power punches. Fury noticed that Usyk was
accustomed to taking quick breaks after landing flush shots. Against almost all of his other opponents Usyk's sharpshooting has been enough to control
them, to make them retrench, but that's where Fury and Verhoeven decided
to work.
The
third round was instructive in my opinion. Usyk landed several stunning uppercuts, but instead
of taking a step back to reset, Verhoeven was determined to come forward, apply
pressure and let shots go. He wouldn't be a compliant opponent or make silent non-aggression agreements.
Usyk was dealing with a fighter who was playing by a different set of internal rules. Verhoeven didn't
let Usyk's power or precision spook him. He wouldn't step back to recalibrate. He was relishing the back-and-forth
exchanges and believed in his preparation and offensive attack. He not only
thought that he could win; he believed that he had the tools to do so.
No
doubt Verhoeven was having more success than almost anyone believed was
possible AND Usyk looked far off his best, but it's also important to remember
that boxing is scored round by round. In truth, there were several close rounds
in the fight. For instance, in the third and the eighth, I thought that those
were clear Usyk rounds, but the DAZN broadcast was by then clearly on the
Verhoeven train. The broadcasters got caught up in a potentially
historic upset and were no longer watching the action unfold three minutes at a
time.
The
bout featured open scoring, and the judges were seeing the fight much
closer than the broadcasters were. After the tenth round, two of the judges had
the fight level and one had Verhoeven up by two points. I thought that those
scores were far more appropriate than DAZN's 8-2 lead for Verhoeven. Yes, Usyk
looked off his best, but he was winning his fair share of rounds.
The
11th included drama and controversy. In an exchange during the last
minute of the round, Usyk angled himself to get a clear shot at Verhoeven and
he connected with a devastating right uppercut. Verhoeven fell to his knees and
his body eventually slunk under the bottom rope. He beat the count and ref
Mark Lyson was also nice enough to give him ample time to replace his mouthpiece.
With
only seconds left in the round after the restart, Usyk fired off a series of
power punches against a defenseless Verhoeven. The bell sounded to end the
round and then Lyson decided to wave off the fight.
The
stoppage was unwarranted. Not only did Usyk continue to fire shots after the
bell, but Verhoeven deserved the opportunity to come out for the 12th round.
Sure, he was badly hurt, but that's why there are breaks between rounds. Those
60 seconds could have done him a world of good. Ultimately Lyson
short-circuited a definitive conclusion to the fight. If Usyk would have
stopped Verhoeven in the 12th, then fair play to him, but Verhoeven should have
been afforded every opportunity to fight his way out of it.
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Usyk after the victory
Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson/Matchroom |
Prior
to Saturday's fight, Usyk had frequently stated that he only wanted to fight
three more times. 39 years old and a lifetime spent on the road, Usyk
had already been planning his retirement. From
a style perspective, Usyk has always been a master of timing and footwork, the
types of skills that can diminish more quickly than a big knockout punch. Maybe
Usyk has one more great night ahead of him, but it's also possible that a fighter as attuned to the elements as Usyk is has observed his own slippage.
A
few years ago Tyson Fury struggled against MMA fighter Francis Ngannou
(another novice boxer). Fury did return to give Usyk a terrific first fight.
But then let's also remember that Fury wasn't willing to take it on the inside
against Usyk in either bout. He wasn't physically or mentally ready to go to
the same places that he did in the two Wilder rematches.
Usyk's
now in a similar position that Fury was, that bargaining phase: I can take my foot off the gas. I don't need to
train as hard as I once did. This neophyte isn't a match for me.
Usyk has always had edges in intangibles, including intelligence, stamina, conditioning, self-belief, and resilience. But without them, he's a different proposition in the ring. And
once those little edges dull, it's extremely hard
to get them back.
I doubt that we'll see Usyk have too many more easy nights against real competition. No heavyweight is
going to be disturbed by Usyk's performance against Verhoeven. Whatever aura
Usyk once had, there is now a division full of fighters who will enter the ring
against him with more hope and belief. So, if ever there's an example of a bad
win, it's this. Usyk has diminished his standing.
After Saturday's performance,
the heavyweight division will now have declared open season on the champ. It's
one thing for a fighter to envision his own sunset, but it's an entirely
different scenario when his opponents are licking their chops to take him there.
He's a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.
