Did Mark Lyson Rob Rico Verhoeven Of History?

Credit: DAZN 

The fight between future Hall of Famer and current unified World Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and former Kickboxing World Heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven on May 23rd at the Pyramids of Giza in Giza, Egypt was one that had controversy surrounding it from the moment it was announced. Controversy rooted in the World Boxing Council (WBC) opting to sanction the bout for its version of the World Heavyweight championship, which Usyk currently holds, despite the challenger only having one professional fight prior to the encounter in the sport of Boxing. Though Verhoeven emerged victorious in that one outing over a decade ago, he was not in a position where one could claim that he had earned a shot at a world title in the sport, despite his vast credentials in the sport of Kickboxing where he is a future Hall of Famer.

Controversy going into the fight aside, it was nevertheless a curiosity as it always tends to be when two top fighters from different combat sports disciplines square off against each other with one often leaving their sport to challenge the other in theirs. Despite a not so stellar record of fighters from other sports succeeding in the Boxing ring, there were as this observer pointed out in previewing this encounter, a few exceptions and as such Verhoeven’s chances could not be outright dismissed simply based on the difference of experience between himself and Usyk when it came to Boxing. After covering combat sports with Boxing as my primary for over three decades and being as well-versed as anyone in the sport when it comes to offering an educated guess based on my experience, even I could not have predicted what took place when the two fighters met in the truly unique location in front of the Pyramids of Giza and will felt admit, even I was a little surprised.

As I stated in previewing this fight, the onus was on Rico Verhoeven to show that he could combat Usyk’s hand speed, ability to use angles, and deceptive punching power. To the surprise of many, including this observer, Verhoeven was the one dictating the pace of the fight from the outset. By using his 6’5 frame and near 259lb. weight, it was the novice boxer that was consistently backing up the former two-division undisputed world champion, landing hooks and having surprising success in landing his right hand. An aspect of Verhoeven’s approach that I found particularly effective was he constantly moved both his arms up and down in virtually every round. A strategy I have seen implemented on occasion particularly in lower weight divisions where it serves two purposes. First as a way to deflect incoming punches, as well as to attempt to limit an opponent's offensive output.

For most of this fight, Verhoeven, round after round, succeeded in limiting Usyk’s output to such a degree that the champion and master boxer was unable to get into anything resembling a consistent rhythm, as whenever Usyk would appear to land cleanly, Verhoeven would immediately return offense. It was this strategy that as surprising as it was, this observer felt carried Verhoeven to win seven of the first eight rounds on my scorecard. As the fight entered the late rounds, however, Usyk did start to make up some ground, and despite putting forth a remarkable performance that no one could have logically expected, Verhoeven did show some signs of fatigue, which was certainly understandable given the high pace he put forth throughout the contest as well as the fact that this was only his second professional fight in the sport of Boxing.

This leads us to what proved to be the climatic round of the fight, round eleven. As Usyk seemed to be picking up momentum, but also seemingly at a stage where many observers, including this one, felt he would need a knockout to retain his title, he connected with a short right uppercut to the head that knocked Verhoeven down to the canvas in his own corner. Verhoeven was able to beat the count and seemed to withstand the follow-up barrage of blows by the champion until Referee Mark Lyson inexplicably stepped in as the bell was sounding to end the round. At first, it seemed to me in a situation I have seen and covered countless times where two fighters were in the midst of a heated battle, with the crowd in attendance loudly enjoying the action, that the referee stepped in to signal the end of the round. Within seconds, however, it was in actuality Lyson stepping in and stopping the fight and awarding a TKO victory to Oleksandr Usyk.

As is often the case in present day, I shared my thoughts on the stoppage in real time on X (Formerly Twitter) calling the stoppage incompetent as well as sharing thoughts on another element of controversy that emerged throughout the fight. Though an initiative that has not been universally adapted, but one that has been used by the WBC for many years in world title bouts, this fight had the element of open scoring and after eight rounds, despite what was going on in the ring to the vantage point of any unbiased observer two official judges had Usyk ahead slightly. At the time of the stoppage, two of the three official judges were deadlocked and had the fight scored evenly.

While one would assume given that Verhoeven was knocked when in the latter stages of round eleven, had the round gone to completion and thus had been scored, Usyk would have been up by two points on those judges respective scorecards and the third judge, who had Verhoeven ahead by two points, would have ended up with an even score going into what would have been the twelfth and final round had the fight been allowed to continue. Although I have certainly covered plenty of fights over the course of the last three decades where similar scorecards were given at the end of the day following a controversial stoppage, at minimum it would probably give an appearance to a casual viewer that potential bias may have played a role.

The idea of bias in the eyes of some would likely stem from the perception of protecting the Boxing world champion from an unlikely, but probable defeat given what took place in the ring to an undefeated novice boxer, who was primarily known for his accomplishments in the sport of Kickboxing and who was a decade removed from his last professional fight as a boxer. Although I am by no means pointing fingers and have been around long enough to know the difference between stating an opinion and stating an accusation supported by evidence, at minimum, it does not paint the best picture both of Lyson, who has served as a referee for over 1,158 bouts, many being world title bouts throughout his career, or the three official judges, who are all vastly experienced when it comes to questions surrounding objectivity. Particularly, when one considers that Rico Verhoeven was on the verge of making Boxing history by potentially winning a World Heavyweight championship in only his second professional fight. An accomplishment no fighter has achieved.When one also considers that the last time there was a major crossover bout featuring stars of two different combat sports when Tyson Fury met Francis Ngannou in October 2023, many were left with a similar bad taste in their mouths as Fury, who was unbeaten and the WBC world champion in the Heavyweight division at the time, was declared the winner of the non-title ten round bout via controversial decision, despite being knocked down over the course of the bout and clearly having a lackadaisical mindset through the fight that many felt, including yours truly that Ngannou deserved the decision.

What happens now will obviously be open to debate. Clearly, Rico Verhoeven deserves another opportunity at Oleksandr Usyk, and it will be interesting to see if the WBC will mandate a rematch. Perhaps a bigger issue, however, for the sport of Boxing moving forward is a perception that while crossover fights between boxers and stars of other combat sports will always have an appeal, some may question whether a fighter known primarily outside of Boxing will be able to get a fair shake when they do step into a Boxing ring to face off against one of the sport’s stars. Without addressing the elephant in the room, it may be harder for not just fans, but for other fighters throughout combat sports to be open to competing in Boxing or from a fan’s point of view, embrace such encounters by tuning in.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

Photo Courtesy of: DAZN Used with permission.

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on the following Social Media Platforms:

X: (Formerly Twitter) www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison       

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeauDenison1       

Threads: www.threads.net/@BeauDenison1    

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BeauDenison1  

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/beaudenison1.bsky.social  

Usyk-Verhoeven: The Latest Combat Sports Curiosity

Credit: DAZN 

It has become almost a standard practice in present day combat sports to see crossover bouts featuring fighters from different combat disciplines trying their hand at competing in a different discipline/sport, often against a seasoned fighter with significantly more experience than the combatant leaving their primary sport for the said contest. While most of the time, this presents encounters that turn out to be one-sided mismatches where the fighter with more experience in the sport where a fight is taking place wins over the fighter crossing over from one sport to another, there will always be a curiosity whenever such a fight takes place. 

Such an occasion will occur when undefeated current unified World Heavyweight Boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk will defend the WBC World Heavyweight championship against former World Heavyweight Kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven on May 23rd at the Pyramids of Giza in Giza, Egypt. A bout that can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN either as part of a DAZN Ultimate subscription or as a standalone pay-per-view option for non-Ultimate subscribers.

The location of this world title bout is as much a part of the story as the fight itself. This will be the first combat sports event to ever be held at the Pyramids of Giza and thus, regardless of what happens in the fight itself, this will make Boxing history given that it is a World Heavyweight championship bout. A subject that has some controversy attached to it.

Controversy in that the World Boxing Council (WBC) greenlit sanctioning this fight for its portion of the World Heavyweight championship, despite the significant difference in Boxing experience between champion and challenger. Perhaps, their decision was influenced at least in part by wanting to be involved in a unique event that is a first in all of combat sports in terms of location, that could be a one-off occurrence, but a decision that has faced significant criticism primarily from Boxing fans.

Where does the criticism stem from? Rico Verhoeven is a legend in the sport of Kickboxing having successfully defended the Glory Kickboxing World Heavyweight championship fifteen times in a twelve year reign as champion, which is an extremely impressive Hall of Fame worthy accomplishment in any combat sport. Having said that, Verhoeven, who has also dabbled in the sport of MMA, has only had one professional fight as a boxer. In that outing in April 2014, he scored a knockout in the second round over a fighter by the name of James Finfera, a boxer who was winless in five previous bouts when he met Verhoeven in Germany. Although it is a testament to the athletic qualities Verhoeven has that he has been willing to dabble in multiple combat sports with Kickboxing as his primary discipline, the criticism given the record of his one previous opponent in Boxing as well as the fact that he has not fought in a Boxing contest in over twelve years seems justified as to why some are questioning his being catapulted into a world championship opportunity here in what will only be his second professional fight as a boxer.

If\ one looks at the history of the sport, however, it is not unheard of for a world champion in a different combat sport to be given an opportunity to challenge for a world title in Boxing with a limited resume. Some may recall Troy Dorsey, a man that pioneered the concept of a multi-combat sport athlete.

Dorsey, a former World Kickboxing champion in the 1980’s and 1990’s made history as being the first fighter in history to hold world titles in both sports simultaneously and fought for a world title in Boxing in only his fourteenth professional fight during an era where there weren't as many avenues to compete for world titles as there are in the sport today. In more recent times, some are likely familiar with the career of Chris Algieri, an undefeated two-division World Kickboxing champion, who went on to win a world championship in Boxing and has since gone on to become one of the sport’s respected commentators and broadcasters.The takeaway here should be that while a fighter might have a limited resume when opportunities present themselves in a given sport, it does not mean that their chances can necessarily be dismissed just off of limited experience. 

Rather than focusing on resumes that boil down to statistics and footnotes, a more accurate question will be what type of fight can we expect to see here. As is the case with most crossover fights, there is not much to go on because there are obvious differences between Boxing and Kickboxing and as such, tactics cannot adequately be compared as one obviously has the element of being able to use kicks to the legs, body, and head, in addition to punching with hands, while the other, the hands are the sole weapon used in combat.

What this will boil down to is whether Verhoeven will be able to combat Usyk’s hand speed, ability to use angles, and deceptive punching power. The key in the eyes of this observer will be whether Verhoeven can get the respect of Usyl early in the fight.

Oleksandr Usyk is an undefeated former three-time Undisputed world champion in two weight divisions. The fact of the matter is there is not much that Usyk has not done and there probably at this point in his career that he has not seen in the ring that an opponent can offer him. An obvious danger here, however, though he has not shown signs of it, is the possibility of taking his opponent here lightly and as such even though Rico Verhoeven is a legend in Kickboxing, if he were to pull off what would be called a major upset here, some would likely use that accomplishment as a means to try and question Usyk’s legacy, likely citing Verhoeven’s limited Boxing experience.

How will Usyk approach this encounter? The obvious approach in my eyes will be to try and use the fact that Verhoeven has not fought in a Boxing contest in over twelve years to his advantage. Usyk must establish the pace of the combat from the outset and must also use the fact that world championship fights in Boxing are scheduled for twelve rounds. Although like Boxing, bouts in Kickboxing are also held with rounds with three minutes in duration, a question here is whether Rico Verhoeven will be conditioned to go into the middle and deep waters of the fight, also known as the middle and late rounds, if he is forced to do so and is forced to fight at a pace that he does not control. The task of trying to limit Usyk’s ability to use angles by trying to cut off the ring and nullify his hand speed will be a difficult task and Usyk’s fight plan will likely center on trying to extend Verhoeven into the middle and late rounds and will try to make him use more physical effort than Verhoeven is likely used to as a means of putting the challenger’s stamina to the test in addition to obviously looking to exploit any opening that Verhoeven might leave.

As is the case with virtually all crossover fights, whether this fight will be remembered for being a competitive bout or more for the uniqueness of the event and the location where it is taking place, remains to be seen. Having seen several of these fights and knowing that they are rarely known at the end of the day for a competitive contest, one way or another as was the case when future UFC Hall of Famer Connor McGregor stepped into the Boxing ring to challenge Floyd Mayweather and gave a good effort before ultimately being stopped by the more experienced Hall of Fame boxer, or when Hall of Fame boxer James Toney stepped into the UFC to challenge Hall of Famer Randy Couture and was quickly taken down and submitted, I am nevertheless curious as to what is going happen here and I'm as interested to watch as anyone else.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.*

Photo Courtesy of: DAZN Used with permission 

Usyk vs. Verhoeven takes place on Saturday, May 23rd at the Pyramids of Giza in Giza, Egypt. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN included with a DAZN Ultimate subscription for $44.99 per month or available as a standalone pay-per-view offering for non-ultimate subscribers for $59.99. The broadcast will begin at 11AM ET/8AM PT. (*North American pricing and start times only.* ) (*Card and Start Times Subject to Change.*)

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, Availability around the world, local start times and pricing in your area, to subscribe, or order this event, please visit: www.DAZN.com.

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 

Follow Beau Denison on the following Social Media Platforms:

X: (Formerly Twitter) www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeauDenison1 

Threads: www.threads.net/@BeauDenison1 

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BeauDenison1     

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/beaudenison1.bsky.social 

12 Rounds In A Phone Booth: Miller Outlasts Pero

Initially, this column was intended to be a post-feature covering two Heavyweight bouts taking place on April 25th taking place in two different countries. As some might know, however, the scheduled bout between former WBO World Cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie and Tony Yoka, which was to take place in Paris, France, was cancelled in the days prior to the bout due to Okolie having been found to have tested positive for what was described as an “Adverse Finding" in randomized prefight testing conducted by the Voluntary Anti-doping Agency (VADA). 

With that fight being cancelled the focus shifted to Las Vegas, NV where Heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller met undefeated contender Lenier Pero in a twelve round WBA Heavyweight elimination bout at the Fontainebleau Hotel and Casino. It can be viewed as the most unintentional of coincidences that one fight that depending on one's perspective, which would have gotten significant attention, was cancelled due to a fighter testing positive for an adverse finding, and the focus shifted to Jarrell Miller, a fighter who has seen his own career negatively impacted over the years due to the subject of testing positive for banned substances, resulting in a lengthy hiatus from active competition, and has seen his career stall in the years since his return in 2022. 

In his previous outing prior to his encounter with Pero, Miller literally lost his toupee in the midst of battle in his fight with Kingsley Ibeh in January of this year. While some may view it as something that one would not want exposed publicly, particularly in Madison Square Garden and it turned into what is known today as a viral moment, Miller boldly threw the out into the crowd and pounded his way to a hard fought ten round split decision.

In making the most of that unique circumstance, Miller now proudly showing a bald head entered this fight with the unbeaten Pero looking to continue building momentum. It seemed as though it would be a difficult task in going against the former highly decorated amateur, who had scored knockouts in eight of his thirteen professional wins.

The perception that Pero would create a difficult task for Miller to overcome seemed to be gradually manifesting in the first two rounds as Pero consistently beat Miller to the punch and seemed to get the better of the combat. It was in round three that things started to tip in Miller's favor as he started to gradually use his over 300lb. frame to walk Paro backwards and force the fight to be fought in close. With the tempo of the combat shifting towards Miller, it set up the definition of a *Fight In A Phone Booth.” By definition, a fight fought exclusively in close where there was not much room to move.

Although this set up obviously created a narrow space, it resulted in a grueling battle that Miller got the better of for the remainder of the scheduled twelve round bout, resulting in him earning a convincing twelve round unanimous decision. In some ways, this fight resembled Miller's previous outing against Kingsley Ibeh in that it was a grueling encounter where Miller had to grind tooth and nail to get a victory. While this bout was void of knockdowns and the type of highlights that would turn heads, it was a competitive give and take battle and Miller’s victory here did serve in continuing to build momentum.

As for what's next for Jarrell Miller, what was billed as a WBA Heavyweight elimination bout will not likely result in him getting a world title shot in the immediate future due to current Unified World Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk being scheduled to defend the WBC portion of his unified crown against former Kickboxing World Heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven in May. Despite the WBA world title, which Usyk also holds not being on the line in that upcoming title defense, the logical route for Miller in the short-term would seem to be to remain active and try to continue building momentum towards the eventual goal of fighting for a world title. The circumstances, which led to Miller losing his opportunity to fight for a world title when he was in line to fight then unified world champion Anthony Joshua in the summer of 2019, the lengthy absence that followed, and some stumbles along the way since his return, could very well turn into one of the best redemption stories the sport of Boxing has seen in recent times. A story that will obviously continue to evolve with time.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on the following Social Media Platforms:

X: (Formerly Twitter) www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison       

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeauDenison1       

Threads: www.threads.net/@BeauDenison1    

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BeauDenison1 

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/beaudenison1.bsky.social 

UPDATE: WBC Statement On Decision To Sanction Usyk-Verhoeven

In a follow-up to the column that was released on the website on Sunday, March 1st, discussing the recently announced upcoming World Heavyweight championship bout between Olekaandr Usyk and former World Heavyweight Kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven, which will take place during the month of May in Egypt, the World Boxing Council (WBC) released an official statement on it's website and social media platforms regarding its decision to sanction the bout for it's version of the World Heavyweight championship, despite Verhoeven only having one professional fight as a professional boxer.

The statement can be read below:

Credit: World Boxing Council

We will have a preview of this World Heavyweight championship bout released here on The Boxing Truth® as we get closer to the event and will keep readers updated on further developments as they become available.

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 

Follow Beau Denison on the following Social Media Platforms:

X: (Formerly Twitter) www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeauDenison1 

Threads: www.threads.net/@BeauDenison1 

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BeauDenison1     

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/beaudenison1.bsky.social 

Usyk vs. Verhoeven For WBC World Heavyweight Championship?

Credit: DAZN

In the summer of last year, future Hall of Famer Oleksandr Usyk further cemented his legacy by becoming the first man in Boxing history to have fully unified the Undisputed World Heavyweight championship twice, adding a third undisputed crown to his extensive list of accomplishments following previously unifying the Cruiserweight division before setting his sights on the Heavyweight division. As record-setting and ground breaking as Usyk’s second unification of the World Heavyweight championship was, it came as a result of the politics that be in the sport of Boxing ensuring a short first reign by not allowing him to maintain the undisputed crown while fulfilling his contractually mandated obligation to give Tyson Fury, the man he defeated for his first undisputed crown at Heavyweight, an immediate rematch.

Unfortunately for Usyk, his second undisputed championship at Heavyweight would have a similar outcome as the first as shortly after he reclaimed the IBF world championship by scoring a knockout of Daniel Dubois in their rematch, the WBO stripped him off their world championship for not fulfilling his mandatory defense obligations, which ultimately resulted in Fabio Wardley eventually being crowned WBO World Heavyweight champion. As frustrating as the politics of Boxing can frustrate and bewilder both fan and Boxing scribes alike, for better or worse, each individual sanctioning organization has their own policies and procedures and at least in theory, try to ensure that fighters deemed mandatory challengers get their title shots in a timely manner. 

While the aforementioned statement is factual, this observer will concede that it probably does sound like a good public relations spin to the Boxing fan that each respective sanctioning organization likely would like to use from time to time. When such policies and procedures alienate fans and fighters as well, however, there are times where fighters will look for an alternative rather than trying to rectify whatever grievance they may have with a given sanctioning organization.

In all truth and honesty with the reader, after Usyk’s victory over Dubois last summer, his second knockout win over the hard hitting former IBF world champion in two fights, I frankly felt he had nothing more to prove after successfully fully unifying the Heavyweight to division twice and having three undisputed world championships to his name overall, all while remaining undefeated his entire career. It was therefore a surprise to yours truly to hear the announcement that Usyk will step into the ring in May in defense of the WBC portion of the World Heavyweight championship.

Why would a noted Boxing journalist and historian with over three decades of covering Combat Sports, with Boxing as his primary be surprised? It did not have anything to do with my aforementioned stance that I felt Usyk had accomplished everything he set out to do and did not have anything left to prove that would somehow add to nor diminish his legacy, but rather who the chosen opposition would be for this title defense, which will take place in Egypt that will play host to its first World Heavyweight championship fight in history.

Usyk’s choice was not a notable contender or a former world champion such as Deontay Wilder, who had long been rumored to be in the short running of potential opponents, nor was it undefeated current WBC number one contender Agit Kabayel, but instead will come in the form of legendary Kickboxing World Heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven. Before I go any further, I feel it important to state for the reader that this column is not a preview of the aforementioned upcoming bout, but rather centers on my reaction to this announcement of the bout that will take place on May 23rd.

My reaction was one of curiosity. While there is no disputing that Rico Verhoeven is a Hall of Famer in the sport of Kickboxing and one of the top pound for pound fighters in that sport, he has had only one professional fight as a boxer and though he won that fight via knockout, that outing came twelve years from when this fight will take place. The question is obvious, how can the WBC see it's way clear to give a title shot to a great fighter from a different sport, but one with a limited background in Boxing?

Obviously, this observer cannot answer that question, but it is one that the WBC should answer. In light of some controversial decisions the organization has made in recent times and with upstart promotional entities like Zuffa Boxing, who seem intent on breaking established norms including legislation with the intent to freeze out independent sanctioning organizations in favor of a promotional based model, the WBC does owe an explanation. While the curiosity is certainly there and I look forward to delving deeper on the subject as we get closer to the bout, most would say that there are fighters currently in the WBC’s Heavyweight ratings with more Boxing experience that would be more qualified in this combat realm for a title shot. For that, the WBC needs to elaborate on their position.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

Photo Courtesy of: DAZN Used with permission.

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on the following Social Media Platforms:

X: (Formerly Twitter) www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison      

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeauDenison1      

Threads: www.threads.net/@BeauDenison1   

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BeauDenison1 

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/beaudenison1.bsky.social