Tim Bradley believes Oleksandr Usyk did not prepare seriously enough for his fight against Rico Verhoeven, and he thinks the heavyweight champion paid for it with one of the roughest nights of his career.
Bradley questioned Usyk’s conditioning, focus, and overall sharpness while reacting to the controversial stoppage victory over Verhoeven during the latest episode of his “Into the Storm” show. The former two-division world champion said Usyk looked heavier than normal before the opening bell and never resembled the fighter fans had seen in past title fights.
“I think he half-ass trained. I don’t think that he fully trained,” said Bradley on his YouTube channel. “I thought that he was just going to walk through this guy, and this guy had his own freaking agenda. That’s what it is.”
Bradley pointed to Usyk’s movement and appearance early in the fight as signs something was off.
“Soon as I saw the scales when Usyk coming in about six, seven pounds over his usually optimum weight, I said, ‘Ah oh.’ I hope this man did not take this dude lightly,” said Bradley.
“And then he gets in the ring in the first round. I’m like, ‘Who the hell is this?’ This ain’t the same Usyk I know that got energy and bouncing on his toes.”
Bradley also praised Verhoeven’s game plan and said the kickboxing star gave Usyk far more trouble than expected by repeatedly forcing the southpaw into uncomfortable positions.
“Rico was in Usyk’s ass, period,” said Bradley. “He was in the fight, and he had a hell of a game plan.”
The Hall of Fame analyst added that Usyk still deserves credit for making adjustments late and getting the stoppage, but he warned that a dangerous fight against WBC interim heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel could now arrive at the wrong time for the aging champion.
“This might just be the right time for him and defeating Usyk,” Bradley said about Kabayel.
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Last Updated on 2026/05/27 at 10:53 PM
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