Based on his below-par display against Rico Verhoeven last month, Roy Jones Jr believes Oleksandr Usyk would have lost his unbeaten record to another opponent.
Sure enough, the Ukrainian looked a far cry from his best against the former kickboxer, who exceeded the majority of expectations with his own performance.
Many had given Verhoeven barely a puncher’s chance, yet he nonetheless boasted a slight lead on one of the judges’ scorecards after 10 completed rounds.
In the end, though, Usyk managed to score an 11th-round knockdown before referee Mark Lyson waved Verhoeven off on his feet.
While a controversial stoppage, given that it came after the bell had sounded, Usyk was ultimately able to retain his WBC, WBA and IBF titles.
The 39-year-old then admitted in his post-fight interview that, prior to the contest, he had spoken with his daughter, who was calling from a bomb shelter in Ukraine.
This can perhaps explain why he underperformed but, in any case, pound-for-pound legend Jones firmly believes that Usyk, at this stage in his career, can be defeated by David Benavidez.
Speaking with FightHype, Jones doubled down on his prior advice to Benavidez, who he has urged to move up to heavyweight in an attempt to dethrone Usyk.
“Imagine what David Benavidez would’ve done that night – Usyk would have his first loss. Doesn’t that make me look [like a] genius?
“That’s the only fight for David Benavidez right now – anyone else would be a waste of time.
“You’ve got the chance to go up [in weight] and make history. You’d be the first to beat [Usyk], [then] you’ve made history.
“You see this guy [Verhoeven] do exactly what he did and it shows that it can be done.”
Benavidez’s last outing saw him topple Gilberto Ramirez for the WBO and WBA 200lb titles, suggesting a further weight jump is not entirely out of the question.
