Former cruiserweight rival says Oleksandr Usyk was pushed harder than expected but would stop Rico Verhoeven much sooner in a second fight

Murat Gassiev admits Oleksandr Usyk’s fight with Rico Verhoeven surprised him, but he does not believe a rematch would be competitive for long. The former cruiserweight champion says Usyk would make adjustments and stop Verhoeven inside eight rounds.

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Gassiev, who challenged Usyk for the undisputed cruiserweight championship in 2018, was asked about the fight during an interview. While he admitted Verhoeven performed better than expected, he still sees a clear advantage for Usyk if the two were to meet again.

“I am very surprised. I know Usyk win but not like this because very, very hard fight for him. But I know Rico is not a kid. He like legend in kickboxing. He is not a typical fighter like one-two. He has a difficult style, you know, to adapt,” said Gassiev to talkSPORT Boxing.

“Maybe Usyk is not serious in training camp because he thinks it’s easy, easy. Maybe he getting old little bit, but he’s still one of the best fighters in boxing history.

“For rematch, no chance for Rico. I think no chance. Fight stop like before eight rounds.”

Usyk retained his WBC, WBA, and IBF heavyweight titles with an 11th-round stoppage victory over Verhoeven last month. The performance sparked debate among fans after the former kickboxing champion enjoyed success during portions of the fight before eventually being stopped.

Despite being impressed by Verhoeven’s effort, Gassiev believes Usyk would make the necessary adjustments in a second meeting and produce a far more convincing result.

The WBC has ordered Usyk to face interim champion Agit Kabayel, while Verhoeven’s next move has yet to be announced.