Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Usyk vs. Ricardo Verhoeven & Frank Sanchez vs. Richard Torrez Jr. RBR.

I decided to turn off the DAZN commentary and listen to TalkSport while watching. For most of the fight Catterall and Davies were constantly saying "we've got Rico just ahead but the judges might be taking a more purist boxing view".

I'm not suggesting a fix but would it be surprising if the WBC had given the refs instructions that "this is a boxing match, score on boxing skills and not aggression"? Rico was hitting gloves a fair bit for example and the punch stats were fairly even.

Still think he got a bad stoppage (about the timing, not about his condition - 12th might have finished it off and Rico was clearly knackered) but boxing is institutionally set up to protect itself like they did with Fury-Ngannou.

 

You have an issue every time I want a fighter to win

 

Not on this occasion. It's just the manner in which he won.

 

Correct.

I hope that Usyk now retires with his undefeated unblemished triple undisputed record.

 

These cross over fights dont go well for boxing.

The boxer clearly always show up half assed just on a cash grab.

I also have no interest in them. Put back proper fights by 6-9 month just for some dross

 

I would love to see Rico in there with some fringe level HW and go from there, based on that last night after 10 months of training he's a handful for anyone out there

 

Taking nothing away from Rico, but maybe throw him in with Ngannou first just to see where he’s actually at. Otherwise there’s a huge danger he becomes another meme the moment he gets stuck in with a motivated heavyweight of similar size.

Guaranteed we will see him again though in a big fight.

 

There was something off about the fight and this morning I realised what it was - it seemed like a sparring session. There were no bombs thrown, neither fighter seemed in any trouble until the end, there was no edge to it at all. Compare and contrast to Wardley v Dubois or even All last week. For me the worst thing about it is that given Usyk fights on average just over once a year, that's him done for 2026. The generally- acknowledged world heavyweight title will be seriously uncontested for two years.

 

I was thinking the same, the way they did a sporting 'tap' either side of each round and after any slight nudge to the rules (elbows, head, belt line, etc). Not saying there's anything in it but it did have shades of an exhibition about it. Rico also seemed less unhappy than his corner at the stoppage!

Must be said, Usyk got a bit less sporting the longer it went on.

 

DAZN was so bad last night. Todd Grisham saying ‘Usyk has switched to southpaw’ has he ever watched boxing before?

You had 3 world champions plus a former boxer and current trainer on the broadcast but let’s go and see how Mike Coppinger is scoring the fight.

 

I wonder that’s why Krassyuk left.

 

I saw Paul Smith Jr ranting about that last night too. TalkSport's watch-along was a bit infused with the "we know all about combat sports" nonsense, whilst scoring it much more tightly at the same time. They know where their bread's buttered.

 

Peter fury has the antidote to the soviet style. Had Tyson had him in the corner, you have to think he’d have got over the line in that 1st fight

 

Why did Tyson swerve Peter for the comeback does anyone know?

 

There’s also the aspect that elite boxers suddenly struggle with the subpar skills of an inferior opponent. It happened with David Morrell last week against Zak Chelli.. when you’re used to performing against a certain level of opposition, the sudden crudeness of a motivated and game lesser opponent can be unexpectedly costly.