“This is wild!” – Joe Rogan totally surprises Rico Verhoeven with his talk about an Oleksandr Usyk rematch.
Joe Rogan recently shared his strong opinion about the decision to stop the fight between heavyweight champions Oleksandr Usyk and kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven.
Usyk won the match in just his second professional boxing fight back in May in Egypt. The fight ended controversially in the 11th round, with the WBC heavyweight title on the line. Verhoeven fought really well, but Usyk came back and knocked him down near the end of the round. Verhoeven got up before the count ended, but the referee stopped the fight as Usyk kept landing big punches.
Later, an appeal commission agreed with Verhoeven’s complaint that the fight was stopped after the bell, but they didn’t change the result. Verhoeven talked about the fight and the appeal on Joe Rogan’s podcast this week.
Rogan said, “This is where things get crazy. That fight was the toughest one Usyk has had as heavyweight champ, yet no one is even talking about a rematch. Isn’t that kind of wild? Instead, they’re mentioning Deontay Wilder, who, don’t get me wrong, I respect a lot—but he’s not the same fighter he was in 2019.”
Usyk is used to facing tough opponents more than once. Before fighting Verhoeven, he fought Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury, and Anthony Joshua twice each, winning all six fights and keeping an impressive record of 16 wins, 9 by knockout, and no losses. Both Fury and Dubois lost by knockout.
Verhoeven responded, “That’s a good point because before the fight, all the talk was about fighting me first, then the winner of Dubois-Wordley, and after that, Tyson Fury again. But now, those two aren’t even in the conversation. I think after this fight, Usyk realized it was harder than he thought and decided to take a different path. As for me, I don’t want a rematch just for the sake of it. I want it because it makes sense — it’s unfinished business.”
Verhoeven was doing great early on, and the scores were tied when the fight was stopped at the Pyramids of Giza. He’s 37 years old and a legend in kickboxing, with a record of 66 wins and 10 losses. He was undefeated for over ten years before giving up his Glory Heavyweight title two years ago.
Rogan added, “From a promoter’s perspective, a rematch makes so much sense. Again, I have huge respect for Deontay Wilder—he’s one of the best knockout artists in heavyweight history—but he’s not the same now. Usyk just came off an epic fight that the whole world watched. If any fight deserves a rematch, it’s that one.”