Usyk’s coach releases statement regarding Verhoeven fight.
On Saturday night, many mouths were agape as they saw Oleksandr Usyk take on Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
The reason for their shock was simple: Usyk was not having his usual success. Not only that, but he was losing convincingly (for the majority of observers) to a man who–though he was a terrific combat athlete–had only had one previous professional boxing match.
Round after round, anxiety grew as the Ukrainian struggled greatly to get to grips with what his opponent was doing. And even when he was awarded the victory by 11th-round stoppage, many felt that it arrived very prematurely.
In the two days since, discussion has been had over just why someone who is regarded as one of the best boxers in the world looked so beatable against a foe who was not even of the same sport.
Such was Usyk’s showing, in fact, that a large amount of boxing fans have even been calling for his retirement. So, it is a wonder just what exactly happened on the night.
It can’t be said for certain, but one possible explanation has now presented itself.
Yuri Ivanovich Tkachenko (Usyk’s usual head coach) was not in Usyk’s corner for the fight. Instead, it was Iegor Golub, a separate member of Usyk’s team who currently trains two-time opponent Anthony Joshua.
And while the reasoning behind this is still unclear, Golub has now taken to social media to explain his role in Usyk’s corner during the fight.
“Can confirm I spent the last 11 weeks helping Oleksandr prepare for his fight against Rico, doing head coaching duties”, wrote Golub on Instagram.
Continuing, he stated, “On the question, ‘Where is Yuri Ivanovich?’–which is mainly asked by bots and incomprehensible people with closed pages–I’ll answer very simply: For the last six months, when I was almost away from home, Yuri Ivanovich began to help and train my boys at Kyiv.
“He is my coach, he is the absolute world champion, he is a person and a specialist whom I respect a lot, and only he has the answer to the question why this time in the camp with Oleksandr I worked. All the other ‘opinions’ from people who have nothing to do with the team I would not advise you to take into account.”
Ultimately, it looks like we will have to wait for the real answer on the situation.
Want to get the latest boxing news direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp community by clicking here.
