John Fury Defends Oleksandr Usyk After Rico Verhoeven Fight

Fury says Usyk deserves more credit for beating a bigger opponent and retaining his heavyweight titles

John Fury has defended Oleksandr Usyk’s performance against Rico Verhoeven, arguing the heavyweight champion deserves more credit than he has received since their controversial fight. Speaking to Seconds Out, Fury said Verhoeven’s size, strength and kickboxing pedigree made him a far more difficult opponent than many expected.

Verhoeven had built a narrow lead on one judge’s scorecard after 10 rounds, while the other two officials had the fight even at 95-95. Usyk eventually turned the tide with a right uppercut that dropped the former kickboxing champion before referee Mark Lyson waved the bout off as the round had already ended.

Despite criticism aimed at Usyk’s display, John Fury insisted that the three-time undisputed champion should not be judged too harshly.

“No, you know, because at the end of the day, he posed problems. He’s a 6ft 6in athlete, trains like a demon, strong as a bull, and game as a badger. He’s going to pose problems. World champion kickboxer. I don’t know who said he had no chance,” said John to Secondsout about Usyk’s fight against the much larger Verhoeven.

Fury also pointed to the size disadvantage Usyk has consistently overcome since moving up from cruiserweight.

“You’ve got to give Usyk credit because he’s only a cruiserweight blowing up, you know, and he’s won the heavyweight titles, hasn’t he? But you know what? He just seems to get the job done, doesn’t he? And he got the job done. So, fair play to Usyk.”

However, Fury remained critical of the controversial finish, arguing that Verhoeven’s corner should have been allowed to determine whether their fighter was fit to continue into the final round.

Verhoeven has since called for a rematch, although Usyk’s immediate future remains uncertain. The undefeated champion has been ordered by the WBC to make a mandatory defense against Agit Kabayel, with failure to do so placing his title reign at risk.