Former world champion Carl Froch sharply criticized the upcoming fight of the unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, where the WBC belt will be at stake.
The British expert does not hide his disappointment with the choice of opponent for one of the best boxers of today. "This is a voluntary defense against someone almost no one has heard of, and he is a kickboxer," Froch said. "I'm not sure how kickboxers generally perform in classic boxing, but in history, few of them have achieved anything serious in the professional ring."
At the same time, Froch acknowledged that Usyk objectively deserved a break after grueling fights. "All I can say is: Oleksandr Usyk has long deserved an easy fight, and now he got it, so bravo to him," he noted. "He’s a good guy for taking what he deserved."
Froch's main criticism was addressed to the situation with the ranking order in the division. "Agit Kabayel will be quite upset because he is the mandatory challenger for the WBC title and a real, serious contender," the former champion continued. "He has been waiting for his opportunity for years, and now he will have to wait even longer. It's really bad for boxing to pit Usyk against a kickboxer that almost no one knows."
The Usyk vs Verhoeven fight will take place on May 23 in Giza, Egypt, at the foot of the famous pyramids.
