Oleksandr Usyk is taking Rico Verhoeven seriously, perhaps because he is looking ahead to a bigger challenge afterwards.
The elite southpaw faces kickboxing icon Verhoeven in Egypt on May 23 in a fight that focuses on spectacle after years of hard-fought wins on the road. Despite straying away from his usual matchmaking, Usyk has now assured fans that they can expect a return to top level championship boxing thereafter.
Speaking on DAZN’s Inside the Ring show, Usyk revealed that he will target becoming undisputed champion in the heavyweight division for a third time after the fight, his sights set firmly on either Daniel Dubois or Fabio Wardley.
“For me, it’s a real fight. Yes, Rico is not a good boxer, okay fun fight, no problem, but I want my next fight [against the] winner of Daniel Dubois and Wardley.”
Wardley was promoted from interim to full WBO champion when the Ukrainian vacated the belt rather than face him as mandatory challenger. His first defence against Dubois, set for May 9 in Manchester, is a dangerous one.
It is a legacy-driven strategy Usyk has employed in the past, dropping the IBF belt to allow Dubois to be elevated, defend against Anthony Joshua, and then face him to regain the strap. Should ‘DDD’ beat Wardley, he could be looking at a trilogy, but fan interest may dwindle given how the first two fights played out.
All of this depends on Usyk keeping hold of his three titles. Though the WBC belt is, highly controversially, on the line against Verhoeven, the IBF and WBA have not yet been mentioned. Those sanctioning bodies may well decide to declare their belts vacant.
