Tony Bellew sends out warning to Rico Verhoeven following Oleksandr Usyk fight

Rico Verhoeven impressed many when he was agonisingly close to causing one of the biggest upsets of all time against Oleksandr Usyk, but Tony Bellew has sent him a warning regarding other fighters at heavyweight. 

Last month, Verhoeven, a former kickboxer, was stopped in the 11th round by Usyk after having so much success in their title fight. 

Usyk, who had beaten huge names in his weight class such as Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Daniel Dubois, appeared to have no answer to the Dutchman’s unorthodox approach, but he was still able to grind out a result after breaking through late in the fight. 

In the immediate aftermath of the fight, there have been many calls for a rematch, but with Usyk having mandatory obligations with the WBC against Agit Kabayel, the second Usyk vs Verhoeven clash may have to wait. 

Othe potential options include future fights against the likes of Fury, Joshua, and Dubois, but after having a bout that the whole world witnessed, Bellew believes Verhoeven is now there to be studied and that could be dangerous for him. 

“I think you’re looking at Tyson Fury-Francis Ngannou all over again. And I think, unfortunately for Rico, the footage is out there. He hasn’t spent long enough in the boxing game to change his style – that is his style,” said Bellew when speaking on Fight Your Corner. 

“I think he’s in a real dangerous position, and I think he just needs to hunt for Oleksandr Usyk and stay away from the others. If he was to be let go against a Daniel Dubois, or an Anthony Joshua, [it’s] a completely different matchup. You’re meeting thunderous punchers.”