Frank Warren has issued a warning to Oleksandr Usyk, advising him against considering a rematch with Rico Verhoeven and urging him to fight Agit Kabayel instead.
Warren’s Stance on Usyk’s Next Opponent
Warren has made it clear that he “would not stand” for Usyk entertaining a rematch with Rico Verhoeven instead of facing Agit Kabayel. Kabayel is the WBC mandatory challenger for Usyk. Should Usyk choose a different opponent, he risks being stripped of his belt. Warren, chief of Queensberry Promotions, strongly advises Usyk against this decision.
“They’re talking about maybe doing a rematch with Usyk and Rico [Verhoeven], we’re not going to stand for that,” Warren told Sky Sports.
Warren added, “Usyk’s been there long enough, and he wants his moment, and that’s what we’ll be pushing for with WBC, and hopefully get it over the line and do that same time in the autumn.”
Kabayel’s Credentials and Deserved Opportunity
Warren highlighted Kabayel’s qualities, stating, “[Kabayel] has beaten everybody he’s put in front of him, and he’s a real, real class act, a lovely guy, and he can fight.” Warren believes Kabayel “deserves to be in, in the number one spot, and he’s been there for a while.”
Warren stated definitively, “If he doesn’t take it, he’ll have to vacate it, or be stripped, it’s as simple as that.”
Warren explained the responsibility of a champion: “You’re a champion, you defend the belts, that’s what you’re there for, if you don’t defend them, then you’ve got to give them up and let other people have an opportunity to build their name.”
Warren’s Assessment of Usyk vs. Verhoeven
Despite pushing for Kabayel to be Usyk’s next opponent, Warren was complimentary of Verhoeven’s performance against Usyk. He noted that Verhoeven “showed a lot of heart, a lot of desire and he showed some skills and he was very aggressive in his movements, and the way he came forward.”
Warren initially anticipated a routine victory for Usyk: “I thought it’d be fairly a routine type of job for Usyk, but that’s not how it turned out.”
Warren said, “For me, [Verhoeven] was winning the fight. I didn’t understand the scoring. I genuinely thought that he was in front by a few rounds.”
Usyk survived an “almighty scare” stopping Verhoeven in the final second of round 11. Promoter Turki Alalshikh ignited rematch talks when he said Verhoeven’s performance had shifted the conversation.
Regarding the referee’s decision in the Usyk-Verhoeven fight, Warren stated, “I do feel the referee could have let it go on. Having said that, the referee is not a timekeeper. That’s not his job. It’s when he feels it’s appropriate to stop a fight. That’s what he has to do.” He added, “But I do feel he could have let it go on, considering where they’d got to in the 11th round, but he was close to the action. That was his decision.”
Warren’s priority remains ensuring Kabayel gets his title shot.