OLEKSANDR USYK NAMED WORLD'S #1 P4P BOXER FOLLOWING TERENCE CRAWFORD’S RETIREMENT
Oleksandr Usyk ascends to P4P No. 1 following Crawford's retirement, while kickboxer Rico Verhoeven proposes a hybrid crossover.
Oleksandr Usyk stands alone at the top of boxing right now—no question about it. After Terence Crawford called it a career, Usyk, sitting pretty at 24-0, really doesn’t have anyone chasing him for that pound-for-pound crown.
And here’s what’s wild: he’s 39, and he’s become undisputed champ in two weight classes. That’s already the stuff of legend. Since moving up to heavyweight, Usyk has taken down his biggest rivals—Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Daniel Dubois—not once, but twice each. That pretty much locks him in his place among the all-time greats in the division.
But not everyone’s impressed. James Toney, a guy who fought in 92 pro bouts and won titles in three divisions, isn’t too high on today’s heavyweights. He’s been around, even dabbled in the UFC, and he’s not shy about sharing his thoughts on where the division stands now.
“Usyk’s good, but he’s average,” Toney told Fight Hub TV. “He’s not great. None of these guys are all-timers. They never will be. I’m sorry, it’s not my era. They’re not fighting anybody, and they don’t want to fight. You only become great by fighting great fighters.”
So what’s next for Usyk? He hasn’t stepped in the ring since knocking out Daniel Dubois for the second time last July. He wanted a shot at Deontay Wilder, but instead, he’s lined up to fight Derek Chisora.
Meanwhile, Turki Alalshikh—the Saudi boxing boss—has other ideas. He floated the idea of Usyk fighting a 1-0 boxer when he returns later this year. Under a video of Rico Verhoeven’s knockouts, Alalshikh commented that he wants to see Verhoeven take on Usyk.
Verhoeven, a kickboxing legend, jumped right in and suggested something wild: “That’s the challenge I’ve been waiting for. UNDISPUTED vs UNDISPUTED. One round of boxing, one round of kickboxing. Let’s see if we can make it to 12.”
Usyk reposted Alalshikh’s suggestion, but so far, he hasn’t said if he actually wants to fight Verhoeven next. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
WBC MANDATE: OLEKSANDR USYK ORDERED TO FACE AGIT KABAYEL AFTER NEXT VOLUNTARY DEFENSE
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman confirms Oleksandr Usyk must face Agit Kabayel. Discover the latest on the mandatory title order.
Nobody’s sure who Oleksandr Usyk will face next, but one thing’s set: after his next voluntary defence, he has to fight Agit Kabayel. That’s straight from WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman. Usyk, who holds the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles, hasn’t fought since he tore through Daniel Dubois in five rounds last July. That win unified the division, but the undisputed glory didn’t last long; just a couple of months later, the WBO stripped him for skipping a mandatory defence against Fabio Wardley.
Usyk passed on Wardley with the expectation he’d meet Deontay Wilder next. The WBA, WBC, and IBF all gave Usyk the green light for a voluntary defence, clearing the way. But Wilder decided to fight Derek Chisora instead, which left Usyk without an opponent and the boxing world guessing.
Names like Andy Ruiz Jr and kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven have come up as possible opponents for Usyk, who goes by “The Cat”. But the real showdown on the horizon is with Kabayel. Sulaiman explained to Chris Mannix that Kabayel couldn’t step in earlier because he already had a fight lined up in January. Usyk requested a voluntary defence – pretty standard stuff. Now, he’s obligated to fight the interim champ next. No way around it.
Kabayel earned his interim WBC title by stopping Zhilei Zhang in six rounds back in February last year. He didn’t waste time after that, defending his belt this past January when he blasted Damian Knyba in front of a packed house in Oberhausen, Germany.
Instead of sitting out and waiting for his big shot, Kabayel wants to keep busy. His promoter, Frank Warren, is already planning another fight for him in the spring, possibly against top contender Lawrence Okolie. Warren told Ring Magazine, “We had the balls to go there, do it and take that chance. There’s always been a big love for boxing in Germany, and now they’ve got a hero. The arena sold out in just over a day. He’s fighting again in May, and next time, we’re aiming for an even bigger venue.”
STADIUM CONFIRMED: TYSON FURY VS ARSLANBEK MAKHMUDOV SET FOR TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM APRIL
Tyson Fury returns to the ring on April 11 against Arslanbek Makhmudov. Discover why he chose Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the bout.
Tyson Fury is stepping back into the ring against Arslanbek Makhmudov, and they’ve picked the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the big night, April 11.
When they first dropped the news about this heavyweight clash, nobody knew where it would actually happen. Fury’s team looked into bringing him home to Manchester, maybe setting up a fight at Old Trafford. But now The Sun says it’s all happening at Spurs’ place, right in North London.
Tottenham’s off playing Sunderland at the Stadium of Light that day, so the 64,000-seat stadium is wide open for Fury and Makhmudov to settle things.
It’s not the first time Fury’s fought there. Four years ago, he wrapped up his trilogy with Derek Chisora at Tottenham, winning by stoppage in the tenth round. The stadium has hosted some big names; Anthony Joshua met Oleksandr Usyk there in 2021, and Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn’s heated battles happened on that turf last year, too.
We’ll get more details on the fight at a press conference in London on Monday.
This bout means a lot for Fury. It’s his first fight in 15 months. He’d said he was done after back-to-back losses to Usyk, swearing he’d finally retire, but, honestly, that never seems to stick with him. He’s quit five times before, only to turn right back around.
On Instagram, Fury explained why he can’t walk away: “I’ve won pretty much everything – regional belts, world titles, Fighter of the Year twice, Ring Magazine twice, every world title belt. But for me, there’s nothing else like the fight game. I love it. It’s not about money; I could’ve quit a decade ago and been set for life. Sure, I want a good deal, but it’s really about loving the sport. I’m 37, almost 38, and fighting’s all I care about. That’s how I was raised; it’s who I am.”
If Fury beats Makhmudov, there’s something even bigger waiting for him this summer. The Saudis have already lined up the details for a long-awaited all-British showdown against Anthony Joshua. And there’s even talk about a WBO heavyweight title shot with Fabio Wardley on the table.