Oleksandr Usyk will return to fighting top heavyweight boxers in his next fight now his crossover diversion against Dutch kickboxing great Rico Verhoeven is in the books.
Saturday night’s showdown in Giza, Egypt was not quite the cakewalk we all expected for the peerless Ukrainian, as he laboured before finally winning via a controversial 11th-round stoppage.
This one had vibes of that tumultuous night back in 2023 when Tyson Fury was taken right to the wire by another boxing novice in the shape of MMA star Francis Ngannou.
We will give the brilliant Usyk (now 25-0 as a pro) a pass for this one, he deserves it after fighting nothing but the best in recent years. Two wins over Fury, two over Anthony Joshua and two over newly-crowned WBO heavyweight king Daniel Dubois have more than earned him that pass.
Usyk vs Kabayel next says WBC chief
Next time up though Usyk is likely to face an intriguing test in the shape of WBC mandatory contender Agit Kabayel, in a fight which will excite the purists.
The 27-0 Kabayel has really entered the elite level at heavyweight in the last three years – notably with terrific wins over the previously undefeated Arslanbek Makhmudov and Frank Sanchez and then the Chinese giant Zhilei Zhang. In each case the stocky Kabayel has showed excellent strategy to first defuse a bigger opponent and then gradually take them apart by mixing attacks to the body and head.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said in the aftermath of Usyk vs Verhoeven that German star Kabayel is next for Usyk as the mandatory challenger, and we expect the Ukrainian to accept that challenge. After all, with Fury and Joshua otherwise engaged this year, who else is he going to fight?
A showdown with Deontay Wilder has been mentioned, and while that might sell tickets in the U.S. we still have the feeling that Usyk would easily deal with the fading ‘Bronze Bomber’.
Now, Usyk vs Kabayel is a fight we can all get behind. One for which Usyk would again start a warm favourite, but one which does not come without risk.
