LIVE
Share on Facebook
The past weekend in combat sports was as loud and spectacular as it gets. Oleksandr Usyk stepped into the ring for his fight. He competed in Egypt — against the backdrop of the pyramids. And he nearly lost to kickboxer Rico Verhoeven. Many are convinced that the referee deliberately saved the honor of professional boxing. That is why he stopped the fight catastrophically early. After the bout itself, however, Oleksandr spoke extensively and responded to several challenges. Multiple options for the continuation of his career have already been mentioned. And all of them look extremely intriguing. Now it remains to understand what Usyk himself wants next after going through such a difficult test.
Perhaps the clearest and most obvious option right now is a fight against Agit Kabayel. Cross-discipline fights, as we now understand, are exciting and entertaining. But we should not forget the interests of professional boxing. The sport needs divisions to develop and promising fighters to grow. Kabayel has long been ready for major fights like these and for battles over the most prestigious titles. But while Usyk chooses other, less obvious challenges, the German will be forced to remain in the shadows. Agit himself is certainly unhappy with this situation. Therefore, he will try to do everything possible to prove his claims. After the Usyk–Verhoeven fight ended, he behaved exactly as he should have. He entered the ring, challenged Oleksandr, and showed the entire world that he is ready for this battle.
Kabayel is already 33 years old. There is no sense in keeping him waiting any longer. Fights of this caliber need to happen here and now. Has Agit earned them? Absolutely. Especially since December 2023, everything has gone uphill for him. That was when the German broke down Arslanbek Makhmudov. He defeated him by technical knockout in the fourth round. And he showed that he is ready for brutal wars. After that, Frank Sanchez, Zhang Zhilei, and Damian Knyba all fell before him. Kabayel’s professional record now stands at 27-0. And Agit deserves the opportunity to face the dominant force of the heavyweight division.
The next option is a rematch with Verhoeven. After such an unconvincing fight and the controversy that followed, it is a necessary step. The reason is simple: Usyk can loudly claim that he is ready to beat anyone. But many people in the boxing world openly say that Oleksandr was losing the fight against Rico. And losing badly. The referee allegedly had to rescue the boxer. Usyk has already been in a similar situation before — in his first fight against Daniel Dubois. Back then, Oleksandr endured enormous criticism. But he returned for the rematch and completely destroyed the Briton. No questions remained afterward. Now the same thing should happen with Verhoeven. Perhaps the rematch should not happen immediately. But the Dutchman has earned the right to another chance.
Rico is an excellent option for a rematch. Oleksandr himself now understands exactly what to expect from his opponent. There can be no underestimation anymore. And Usyk will step into the ring with only one mindset — to show his true level and put an end to all the talk once and for all. But a second consecutive fight against a kickboxer could genuinely hurt the division. There are outstanding fighters waiting in line and losing valuable time. In such a situation, Usyk could literally be forced to vacate his belts. Does Oleksandr want that? A huge question. That is why Rico may have to wait a little longer.
Of course, we also should not forget the great and mighty Tyson Fury. Yes, things have not always been easy for him. Yes, there have been struggles. But Tyson has always shown what he is capable of. He stepped into the ring and gave everything he had to boxing. Usyk has already defeated the Gypsy King twice. But Fury has repeatedly stated that he wants a trilogy fight. To be completely honest, even now this is the biggest and loudest challenge available for Oleksandr. And it is also an incredibly lucrative one. Without any doubt, promoters would pay several times more for a war with Fury than for a hypothetical fight against Kabayel. And there is another important point — it feels like Usyk simply does not fear the Briton at all. After two victories, he has completely figured out the key to beating the Gypsy King. Moreover, Tyson spent a long period away from the ring. Yes, he returned well against Makhmudov. But will that be enough against Usyk? Unlikely.
Oleksandr could give Fury the trilogy fight. And the fans would only benefit from it. Of course, the division would once again be put on hold. The contenders would continue waiting for their opportunity. Yes, the situation would become even more complicated because of the lengthy preparation required. And after the fight, Usyk would almost certainly take a short break. But this is the loudest, most marketable, most prestigious, most profitable, and most anticipated challenge possible.
