Elucidating Those Boggled Of Mind On What Transpired In The Great Usyk-Verhoeven Cataclysm Of 2026.

Granted, Usyk looked fat and likely didn't train as hard as he should have. But the reason he looked so **** was because Rico pretty much moved exclusively clockwise and to the outside of Usyk's right jab. It's easy for a southpaw to look good when his orthodox opponent moves into his left hand. Rico was able to keep at it for 11 rounds.

Peter Fury would have been drilling the clockwise movement into Rico the moment the fight was announced. Couple that with getting Rico to crouch over and reduce the target, and the gameplan made it a hard night's work for Usyk.

It was hardly a big uppercut that dropped Rico. He was hunched over and tired when it landed. He has recovered better from worse.

Anyone who says the stoppage only delayed the inevitable in the 12th is kidding themselves. The minute break could well have given Rico his second wind. And even if it didn't, all it would've taken was a right hand to land on the mark (whether it be head or body) to get Usyk to back off from going for the finish. Forget DDD, did Usyk finish Tyson or AJ when he had them stunned?

If a rematch were to take place I see a fairly comfortable win for Usyk. He will be better prepared physically but more importantly he will know what Rico's gameplan is.

 

Why?

 

In order to be a 2 time anything you have to lose it and win it back.

Usyk has never lost as a pro.

 

Look forward to it

 

Very balanced and in depth observations, appreciate the effort.

 

Great posts. Two additional things to add in that I think were big factors:-

1. Uysk's lead hand and feints are a massive part of establishing his rythym, but Rico completely nullified that by keeping his own lead hand in constant herky-jerky, and entirely ignore whatever Usyk was doing with his lead hand. I think being a 'novice' boxer likely made that easier to exceute, and it's guaranteed Peter Fury had it drilled into Rico - don't let his lead had distract you!
2. Uysk's mentality has meant no one could get in his head, and likely meant he got in his opponent's head more likely, expecting 'wizardry'. But Rico himself has the same mentality, and he came to win, fully believing in the gameplan. I think many fighters going in with Usyk have probably convinced themselves they won't to win before the bell goes, and accept it with the 1st jab that connects, but that was not the mindset of Rico here, polar opposite.

 

These cross over fights just shouldn't be happening end of. And the fact this was sanctioned as a world heavyweight title fight was ludicrous.

These type of fights never turn out as people expect them to and it just damages the reputation of the sport we love.

If a retired boxer wants to take part in these type of crossover fights to make some money then go ahead. But active world champions should not be taking part in these type of fights nor should they be sanctioned as world title fights.

I didn't like it with Fury and I certainly didn't like it with Usyk because I like Usyk a hell of a lot more than Fury.

I'll give Rico credit for a big guy he had very good footwork and showed better stamina than alot of people expected. But I think this performance flatters him somewhat and I don't see him beating any of the top 10 Heavyweights.

Usyk looked sluggish the extra weight didn't help him and I was concerned about the 233 pounds prior to the fight. And when I see Usyk enter the ring he noticeably had a pot belly, I was getting Ali vibes when he was out of shape at 230+ pounds vs Young.

There's alot of unanswered questions.

1. Rico was better than what we thought but did Usyk finally age over night ?

2. Was it primarily the extra weight why Usyk looked sluggish ?

3. Was is just a bit of weird stylistical issue due to Rico's unorthodox boxing style that no one had a blueprint on ?

Who knows.

But I hope this is a lesson for future for active world champions do not take these cross over fights its always a lose/lose situation.

This fight doesn't take away from the great career Usyk has had and every great notable Heavyweight has had an off night. And if Usyk comesback and has a good performance vs Kabayel he can erase the memories of the Rico fight.

But if Usyk does take the Kabayel fight do not and I repeat do not come in at 230+ pounds ever again as the extra weight clearly didn't suit Usyk at all.

 

Why couldn't Rico score a knockdown against Usyk despite being much bigger and stronger than him?

 

I wouldn't mind them at all if they were exhibitions, honestly. I mean they're usually either dramatic in some way or just funny. It's the fact they are sanctioned bouts, on the record, that bothers me. The fact this counts as a defense and was technically contested for the lineal heavyweight title, the biggest prize in boxing, is what I find so disgraceful. I think this combined with the low level of activity from Usyk is what really bothers people, especially when people are trying to justify it. I usually like Usyk and have been watching him since the Olympics, but this was a blatant cash grab gone (almost) wrong and he should be criticised for it imo. No boxer should be admired and defended above the sport as a whole.

 

Maybe because he was a novice boxer.

Maybe you should ask why it took an Olympic gold medallist 11 rounds to drop a clearly fatigued novice. And then rely on an after the bell stoppage for the W.

 

Agreed a bit like Ali's exhibition vs that NFL player I forget his name but it didn't count on Ali's official record.

And even worse this Rico/Usyk fight was sanctioned as a world title fight ?

At first when I was watching it I applauded it as a contest and admired Rico's effort.

But then when it got to the later rounds and Rico was ahead on points I was actually sweating buckets. Because the repercussions of Usyk losing this fight and Rico becoming a world champion, would've done unimaginable damage to boxings reputation.

I agree it was cash grab which I have no issue with because every boxer has done it.

But I don't agree with the fact that this counted as a world title fight.

And especially when Usyk is only fighting once a year on average. And other deserving contenders are not getting title shots i think this does deserve some criticism.

Usyk is still a great fighter and I hope he can end his career on a good note with a win over Kabayel and then retire off into the sunset.

But it's a bit concerning right now because no one knows if Usyk has finally started to age overnight now.

 

Yeah, I've been active in the other combat sports social spaces, especially the kickboxing and MMA spaces. That's not even mentioning the normie / casual discussions, which are dominated by MMA opinions due to MMA media having a much bigger presence on social media. People are once again laughing at and dissing not just this bout but Boxing as a whole. I don't think the hardcores in their echo chambers on here realise the damage these types of bouts actually do to boxing as a mainstream presence, especially when they're competitive. The opinions on here thinking this bout was passable in anyway are an extreme minority.

 

I think there was an element of surprise. Usyk expected Rico to box like a kickboxer told they can’t throw kicks, not like a kickboxer who had put everything to the side and developed a fully fleshed out boxing style for himself. A unique, awkward as hell, effective one at that. Rico came in as a fully developed boxer, not a hamstrung kickboxer, and it shocked the hell out of Usyk. And everybody watching.

when Rico said “im going to show you something you’ve never seen before”, that wasn’t bluster, that was the damn truth.

stoppage was premature. Ref robbed Usyk of the chance to conclusively get a KO in the 1th, robbed Rico of the chance to go the distance and try for a win on the cards, robbed the fans and the sport of a real conclusion to the fight.

 

As for Usyk's shape, in an interview before the fight, Usyk’s strength and conditioning coach, Jakub Chycki, stated that the weight gain was not accidental. According to him, Usyk’s weight has been gradually increasing since they started working together, and one of the challenges has actually been getting Oleksandr to consume enough calories to reach the targeted weight.

Chycki emphasized that the extra weight is not a concern, arguing that a difference of a few kilograms is marginal at such a high body weight. He also explained that the team carefully monitors whether the added mass affects Usyk’s footwork, speed, and overall mobility. According to Chycki, the additional weight has instead increased the power of Usyk’s punches. They reportedly used specialized devices and performance metrics to track Usyk's speed, footwork, and other physical parameters throughout training.

Overall, Chycki did not sound worried about either Usyk’s condition or the fight itself.

 

I don't know alot about kickboxing but from what I've gathered from a few members here who follow the sport.

Rico is apparently a bit of a blood and guts warrior who has been floored quite a few times and normally pulls out fights after a back and forth war.

So maybe Usyk felt as soon as he lands on Rico with the extra weight he would put him away.

But Usyk looked too sluggish to me at 233 pounds and I don't think the extra weight suited him.