Tony Bellew has considered how Rico Verhoeven’s unorthodox style would measure up against the “thunderous punches” of Anthony Joshua.
With the Dutchman having only one prior professional boxing match to his name, many expected Oleksandr Usyk to dissect his style with minimal difficulty.
As it happened, though, Verhoeven was able to find considerable success, introducing Usyk to a tougher-than-expected night at the office last Saturday.
This was quite the achievement when considering that Verhoeven, though an accomplished kickboxer, had not fought in a boxing ring since his second-round finish over a 0-5 heavyweight in 2014.
Usyk, meanwhile, was defending his WBC world title, but would have also lost his IBF and WBA belts if he had suffered a first professional defeat.
This appeared increasingly likely until the Ukrainian finally floored his opponent in round 11, at which point Verhoeven was leading on one of the three judges’ scorecards.
The other two judges had it level when, shortly after clambering back to his feet, Verhoeven was stopped by referee Mark Lyson at the sound of the bell.
Even when considering Verhoeven’s mightily impressive performance, though, former world champion Bellew is unsure that he would have comparable success against the likes of Joshua and Daniel Dubois.
This, he tells The Stomping Ground, is because the element of surprise – in the context of his style – has now come to pass.
“I think you’re looking at Tyson Fury-Francis Ngannou all over again. And I think, unfortunately for Rico, the footage is out there. [Opponents are] all going to see what he brings to the table.
“He hasn’t spent long enough in the boxing game to change his style – that is his style. I think he’s in a real dangerous position, and I think he just needs to hunt for Oleksandr Usyk and stay away from the others.
“If he was to be let go against a Daniel Dubois, or an Anthony Joshua, [it’s] a completely different matchup. You’re meeting thunderous punches.”
Like he did against Ngannou in 2024, Bellew believes that Joshua could implement an effective gameplan and exploit Verhoeven’s weaknesses.
