WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman says the sanctioning body would approve a rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven after last Saturday’s dramatic heavyweight fight in Giza, Egypt.
Sulaiman also said Rico will be ranked by the WBC and believes the Dutch heavyweight earned another title shot after pushing Usyk before being stopped in the 11th round.
“Absolutely. Yes,” said Sulaiman to Pro Boxing Fans YouTube channel when asked if the WBC would sanction a rematch between Usyk and Rico. “But Kabayel is a mandatory contender.”
Sulaiman added that Rico’s performance changed the perception surrounding him after criticism over the WBC approving the crossover fight.
“I believe the right thing would be Rico is going to get ranked for sure by the WBC, and he deserves to fight again for the world title,” said Sulaiman.
Asked where Rico could land in the rankings, Sulaiman hinted that Verhoeven could enter near the top.
“I don’t know. That’s a matter of the ratings committee, but I would say top, top, top.”
Sulaiman also defended the WBC for approving the fight in the first place, saying the organization faced criticism before Usyk’s stoppage win.
“We took a lot of criticism, and now we will not hear anything said,” said Sulaiman. “The result was it.”
The WBC president confirmed that Agit Kabayel remains the mandatory challenger for Usyk despite growing interest in a rematch with Rico after the competitive fight at the Pyramids of Giza.
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Last Updated on 2026/05/26 at 4:47 PM
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