Oleksandr Usyk Faces Rico Verhoeven Backlash

Argentine boxing analyst challenges Verhoeven’s immediate WBC heavyweight opportunity

Oleksandr Usyk will defend his WBC heavyweight belt against Rico Verhoeven on May 23 in Egypt. The official announcement has drawn sharp criticism from Argentine analyst Fernando Sabatini, who questioned how a fighter with one professional boxing bout steps straight into a world title ring.

“SERIOUSLY?” Sabatini wrote on X before laying out the path taken by previous heavyweight contenders.

“Those boxers took a long road to fight for a world title:

Vitali Klitschko: 24 fights (3 years)
Whyte: 27 fights (7 years)
Miller: 30 fights (17 years) and never fought for one
Povetkin: 21 fights (7 years)

Rico just one… and he’s already going for the title.”

SUMEN ESTA:⁰#UsykRico (boxeador profesional vs. kickboxer)

¿Es necesario que haya un título mundial en juego acá? La credibilidad está en la lona y la cuenta ya casi llega a 10. https://t.co/OZYuMBNJMS pic.twitter.com/LmXxB5p81g

— Fernando Sabatini (@FerSabatiniBox) February 27, 2026

Verhoeven’s only recorded boxing contest came in 2014. His pedigree is in kickboxing, where he fought 76 times, won 66, and collected five Glory heavyweight titles. That background speaks to toughness and athletic base. It does not reflect rounds spent working behind a jab, clinch work under boxing rules, or solving twelve-round problems against ranked heavyweights.

At this level, experience shows up in the small things. Managing range when the other man steps in. Rebuilding his stance before letting combinations go. Sliding off to his left after the right hand lands. Heavyweight belts have usually come through eliminators, mandatories, and long nights learning how to set the pace over twelve hard rounds.

Oleksandr Usyk has spent years sharpening that craft. He establishes range in the opening rounds, works behind the jab, steps around the lead foot, and wins rounds with steady pressure. His ring IQ comes from sharing the ring with elite fighters and solving them in real time. Every punch has a purpose. He sets the pace and keeps it there.

Supporters of the fight point to Verhoeven’s size and power. Heavyweight power is always live. One clean right hand can change a fight. The question is whether he can establish position, cut off the ring, and maintain punch discipline when Usyk starts stepping around him and varying pace.

This is where Sabatini’s criticism lands. It centers on progression through the ranks and how a fighter earns his place.

A belt goes up for grabs at the Pyramids of Giza, which feels appropriate. Ancient backdrop, modern matchmaking. The difference in class will sort itself out once the bell rings. Until then, the debate rolls on about how many comfortable rounds a contender should collect before being placed opposite the champion of the division.