Tyson Fury Says Rico Verhoeven’s Power Gives Him A Chance

Fury says Rico Verhoeven’s size and right hand make him dangerous, but still expects Oleksandr Usyk to control the fight in Egypt

Tyson Fury believes Rico Verhoeven’s size and punching power make him a legitimate threat, but still expects Oleksandr Usyk to take control Saturday night in Egypt. The former heavyweight champion pointed to Usyk’s experience against bigger punchers like Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois while breaking down the matchup.

“He’s a big man, isn’t he? Big right hand. But I’m sure Usyk’s faced many right-handed people who can knock people out. Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois.

“He’s fought a lot of big men with a similar style to Rico. But listen, he’s a big man, he’s got a chance, he’s got power. Who knows what he can do in there?” Fury said to Gareth A. Davies.

Fury pointed to Usyk’s relatively short professional career as a reason he believes the 39-year-old still has plenty left despite his age. Usyk only turned professional in late 2013 after a lengthy amateur run that included Olympic gold.

“Usyk’s, what is he? 39 years old now? But the thing with him is he’s only had 24 professional fights, so he doesn’t have a lot of mileage on the clock, and he turned pro in late 2013. I think he’s going to be all right,” said Fury.

Verhoeven enters the fight with just one professional boxing match on his record, although he has spent years competing at the top level in kickboxing. The Dutch heavyweight outweighed Usyk by more than 25 pounds at Thursday’s weigh-in, which reinforced the physical difference between the two fighters.

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