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Canelo Alvarez Delivers His Verdict on Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven

The former super middleweight king has offered his prediction for the upcoming heavyweight world championship fight in Egypt
James Hicken|
Canelo Alvarez
Canelo Alvarez | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Canelo Alvarez, the former two-time undisputed super middleweight champion, has made his prediction on who he thinks will win the fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven.

The fight between Usyk and Verhoeven came as a shock to many when it was announced. Verhoeven has had only one professional boxing fight in his life, a second-round knockout against an unknown fighter. Which is why many were surprised that the WBC sanctioned it as a defense of the title.

Usually, when these fights are made, the champions are given some kind of exemption so their title is not on the line, as we saw when Tyson Fury took on former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in 2023.

Oleksandr Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk | IMAGO / Mausolf

But one thing fans and pundits are agreed on is that Usyk needs not be criticized for taking this fight after going on one of, if not the, best heavyweight runs of all-time - beating Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois - all twice over.

Canelo predicts Usyk vs Verhoeven winner

In an interview with DAZN, Alvarez shrugged off the question and backed his friend and fellow boxing great Oleksandr Usyk to successfully defend his WBC heavyweight title against Rico Verhoeven this weekend in front of the Pyramids in Egypt. He even gave a round to watch out for.

“Usyk is going to win for sure. Knockout in four maybe five rounds.”
Canelo Alvarez

Canelo on his admiration for Usyk

In addition to offering his prediction for this weekend's heavyweight clash, the Mexican waxed lyrical about how great Usyk is both as a person and as a fighter.

“I love Usyk. Now I think he is one of the greats and he’s a good guy," Canelo said. "I always enjoy the time when I have the opportunity to see him.

“I don’t show myself to many events, but when I saw him, it’s really good time and I admire him – he’s very disciplined and I’m glad to know him."

Canelo vs Crawford
Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford | IMAGO / Hoganphotos

Both men shared the accolade of being undisputed champions in their respective weight classes, and just as Usyk had to earn back his status as undisputed heavyweight champion, Canelo is planning a return to the top of the super middleweight tree for himself.

Canelo fell short against Terence Crawford in September of last year, losing his super middleweight titles and has yet to return to the ring. He still has two fights remaining on his lucrative Riyadh season contract and had his comeback fight announced earlier this week.

He will take on the recently elevated WBC champion Christian Mbilli on September 12 in Riyadh, marking almost exactly a year to the day since he lost his titles.

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James Hicken
JAMES HICKEN

James started his journalism career in 2024 and has written about a variety of sports, including Boxing, MMA, tennis and Formula 1, but his expertise is in boxing. As a former boxer, he has been published with Boxing News and the Independent, where he worked as a boxing writer - covering breaking news, analysis, interviewing notable figures such as Amir Khan and reporting from ringside. James was born in Birmingham in the UK before a brief stint of his childhood in New Jersey, and then returned to the UK as a teenager to finish his education and gain a Bachelor's degree from Newcastle University. When he isn’t writing, James enjoys a round of golf with his friends or lacing up his gloves and trying to emulate the fighters he loves watching, like Vasiliy Lomachenko and David Benavidez.