Oleksandr Usyk has been confronted by allegations that he is running scared, preferring to enter a rematch with Rico Verhoeven than face his mandatory challenger.
The 39-year-old came through a tougher-than-expected encounter with Verhoeven last month, when many expected him to dismantle the former kickboxer in double-quick fashion.
As it happened, though, a subpar performance from Usyk saw their heavyweight contest progress into round 11, at which point the Ukrainian was trailing on one of the judges’ scorecards.
The southpaw then managed to capitalise on a fatigued Verhoeven, who was floored by a right uppercut before being stopped on his feet by referee Mark Lyson.
Due to the finish arriving at the sound of the bell, many have suggested the Dutchman was wrongfully waved off, while perhaps believing that Usyk was afforded a slice of luck as he retained his WBC, IBF and WBA titles.
Whichever way you slice or dice it, though, Usyk must now decide whether to vacate his WBC strap or face ‘interim’ champion Agit Kabayel in his next outing.
Either way, the German contender is due his shot at the full title, but tells talkSPORT that he suspects Usyk will pursue an immediate rematch with Verhoeven.
“I’m the next [in line] for Usyk, for the WBC title. But now, when I come back to Germany, I think Usyk is scared of me. He will not want to fight Agit Kabayel.
“I think he will make a rematch with Rico. He understands he can beat Rico better; now he can watch [their first] fight and make the [adjustments].
“When he fights with Kabayel, it’s a different fight and for now I think he’s scared of Kabayel. Yes, 100% [he’s scared].”
Kabayel secured his ‘interim’ title with a sixth-round finish over Zhilei Zhang in February 2025, while other notable stoppages have come against Frank Sanchez and Arslanbek Makhmudov.
