{"id":638152,"date":"2026-06-14T11:30:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T11:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/638152\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T11:30:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T11:30:08","slug":"mike-tyson-tells-oleksandr-usyk-to-face-one-man-next-were-waiting-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/638152\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Tyson tells Oleksandr Usyk to face one man next: “We’re waiting for you”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mike Tyson<\/a> has urged Oleksandr Usyk<\/a> to face one of his closest rivals, rather than enter an immediate rematch with Rico Verhoeven.<\/p>\n

The Ukrainian is seemingly considering his options following his last outing, which resulted in a somewhat controversial 11th-round stoppage victory over Verhoeven<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rather surprisingly, Usyk was plunged into a competitive battle with the former kickboxer, whose only previous professional boxing match saw him stop a journeyman in the second round of their 2014 encounter.<\/p>\n

Verhoeven was therefore considered an almighty underdog but nonetheless produced a commendable performance last month, remaining competitive with the heavyweight champion for 10 completed rounds.<\/p>\n

The Dutchman then suffered a knockdown and was waved off on his feet by referee Mark Lyson, whose intervention came after the bell had sounded<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But while there have been calls for an immediate rematch between the pair, Usyk has since been ordered to defend his WBC title against mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As the WBC \u2018interim\u2019 champion, Kabayel has been awaiting his shot at the full title since stopping Zhilei Zhang with a sixth-round body onslaught<\/a> in February 2025.<\/p>\n

And despite having shown considerable patience during this time, the 33-year-old is clearly becoming increasingly frustrated by the situation, so much so that he has posted a social media clip<\/a> of \u2018Iron Mike\u2019 demanding Usyk to defend his WBC, IBF and WBA titles against him.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsyk, we\u2019re waiting for you, brother. We need you, Usyk. We need that money, baby. Come get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Usyk must now decide whether to face Kabayel, who has established himself as the most deserving contender, or vacate his WBC belt and pursue a Verhoeven rematch.<\/p>\n

Alternatively, he may just hang up the gloves and call time on an illustrious career at 39 years old.<\/p>\n