Rico Verhoeven coach Peter Fury calls for Oleksandr Usyk rematch
ESPN • • sports
Key Points:
- Rico Verhoeven's coach, Peter Fury, has called for a rematch against Oleksandr Usyk after their closely contested heavyweight title fight in Egypt ended with a controversial stoppage in the 11th round.
- Verhoeven, a kickboxing star and heavy underdog, performed impressively, with scorecards nearly even before Usyk's late knockdown and subsequent referee stoppage, which Fury and Verhoeven both deemed premature.
- Fury emphasized respect for Usyk's victory but argued that Verhoeven deserves another chance due to his strong showing and limited experience in long boxing matches.
- Post-fight, German heavyweight Agit Kabayel, the mandatory challenger for Usyk's WBC title, publicly called out Usyk for a future bout, proposing a fight in Germany to satisfy fan demand.