Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven: Moses Itauma weighs in
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On May 23, at the Pyramids of Giza, Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven are scheduled to meet in a fight few would have predicted. In a move that caused friction in the boxing world, the WBC announced they will sanction Usyk’s voluntary title defence against legendary kickboxing Champion Verhoeven. The entire card will stream live on DAZN Pay-Per-View.
Ahead of this defence for Usyk, heavyweight contender Moses Itauma spoke to Ariel Helwani and gave his honest view on the May 23 bout.
WBC change stance on heavyweight title
Dan Rafael and other members of the media reported the WBC’s initial stance on Usyk vs Verhoeven: “The WBC fully supports this crossover fight. It will be a WBC ‘special event’, and we will create an unbelievable belt featuring the elements of Pyramids of Egypt. The WBC supported Fury vs. Nganu [sic], which turned out to be very competitive, and we have full respect of Rico as a legendary kickboxing heavyweight champion. At this moment, there has not been discussion of a request to be a title defense and just a special event involving the WBC heavyweight champion.”
This initial stance later changed with the WBC announcing on their own website: “After careful consideration, the WBC Board of Governors has ruled in favor of sanctioning WBC World Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk’s voluntary title defense against legendary kickboxing Champion Rico Verhoeven.”
Itauma reacts to Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven and WBC decision
When asked by Helwani if he thought it was fair the WBC title was on the line for Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven, Itauma said: “Usyk, he can do whatever he wants. He’s earned that right. But I don’t like to use the word fair, but I don’t think it should be allowed to fight for the world title.
“Obviously like I said, Usyk’s earned the right to do whatever he wants, but I don’t think it’s correct for Rico to be able to fight for the world title in his first fight. It’s a bit crazy.”
“If Rico’s got the opportunity to fight Usyk for the WBC title, it would be foolish for him not to take that. It’s just whether it’s fair if he’s able to fight for it in his first fight. It’s a bit crazy,” added Itauma.