Oleksandr Usyk Ordered to Negotiate Mandatory Heavyweight Defense After Verhoeven Victory

Oleksandr Usyk retained his unified heavyweight titles by stopping Dutch kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven in the late rounds of their bout. The WBC announced on June 1 that Usyk must now enter negotiations for his next mandatory defence, with German challenger Kamlesh Kabayel named as the opponent after his wins over Frank Sanchez, Arslanbek Makhmudov and Zhilei Zhang.

Following the fight, Verhoeven said he is confident he could beat top British heavyweights such as Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Moses Itauma, citing his performance against Usyk as evidence of his boxing potential. He also expressed a desire for a rematch with the Ukrainian champion.