{"id":692323,"date":"2026-05-24T22:49:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T22:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/692323\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T22:49:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T22:49:10","slug":"didnt-want-you-to-be-bored-usyk-reacts-to-performance-in-rico-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/692323\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Didn\u2019t want you to be bored\u2019: Usyk reacts to performance in Rico fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oleksandr Usyk had a lot more trouble<\/a> with Rico Verhoeven than anyone expected on Saturday in Egypt.<\/p>\n

On social media<\/a>, Usyk said, \u201cThey say it was tense watching my fight with Rico,\u201d and included a laughing emoji, adding, \u201cGuys, I just didn\u2019t want you to be bored, come on.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Usyk\u2019s comment, it\u2019s worth remembering that Usyk, for as serious a competitor as he is, is a funny, kinda silly guy who says a lot of things in interviews he clearly doesn\u2019t mean, and you can probably apply that to social media, too.<\/p>\n

That said, there are naturally a lot of people wondering, with all due respect to Rico Verhoeven, how essentially a novice boxer was such a boxing challenge for one of the best and most accomplished boxers on the planet. The way professional boxing operates lends itself very easily to fan skepticism and cynicism, as money and \u201cbusiness\u201d are always ahead of the pure sporting aspects.<\/p>\n

For as much as Verhoeven did land shots on Usyk, none of it ever seemed to bother Usyk all that much, maybe a few of the body shots along the way. And when Usyk turned on the gas in Round 11, he completely took over in very quick, sudden fashion.<\/p>\n

Suggesting there may have been a bit of \u201ccarrying\u201d going on won\u2019t go down well with everyone, but there are absolutely people who will think that\u2019s the case, and they did before Usyk said this. Many felt the same back in 2017 when Floyd Mayweather fought Conor McGregor.<\/p>\n

This is not a suggestion that it was a \u201cworked\u201d fight, either. I couldn\u2019t personally know for certain either way, but I don\u2019t think it was. Verhoeven landed some shots that Usyk really didn\u2019t see coming that would strongly work against that idea. But it can be hard to take boxing at face value sometimes, and Usyk\u2019s comment, joking or not, won\u2019t make it any easier for those who already have their doubts.<\/p>\n

Another way to look at it is Usyk setting up the salesmanship for a potential rematch, whether it comes next, or maybe the fight after next in 2027. That way you can hype that one with, \u201cUsyk said he wasn\u2019t even trying very hard the first time around, and this time he will,\u201d and so forth. Not sure if one thing is really better than the other, as all of it suggests a level of theatricality that makes the sport seem a little less legit than you\u2019d like, but that\u2019s the world of boxing, I suppose.<\/p>\n