Tom Aspinall’s bold claim: The surprising way Rico Verhoeven could dethrone Oleksandr Usyk
· Yahoo Sports
Why Tom Aspinall isn’t giving up on Rico Verhoeven before Usyk fight
Tom Aspinall isn’t ready to count out his long-time sparring partner ahead of what’s being billed as one of the most one-sided fights of 2026.
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Rico Verhoeven, who has spent a decade training with the UFC heavyweight champion, is preparing for a big crossover bout against boxing superstar Oleksandr Usyk.
The ‘King of Kickboxing’ is stepping into a different sport to face one of boxing’s best in Usyk this Saturday night, but he’s still undefeated in his own discipline.
Despite the overwhelming odds against Verhoeven, Aspinall believes there’s more to this matchup than people realise. While speaking to talkSPORT, he explained why he thinks his old teammate shouldn’t be written off so quickly.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesTom Aspinall tells Rico Verhoeven to stay unpredictable
Tom Aspinall gets why Oleksandr Usyk is the clear favourite over Rico Verhoeven.
Even so, the UFC heavyweight thinks an upset isn’t out of the question, pointing to Verhoeven’s size and unpredictable style as factors that could make a difference.
“I’ve been sparring Rico for 10 years,” Aspinall said on the Fight Your Corner podcast.
“I know him well, and I’m lucky enough to say he’s a friend of mine. I think anyone has got a chance, but Usyk is on another level. Just because Rico is my friend, doesn’t mean I’m gonna sit on here on a podcast and lie about it – he’s up against it.
“I think anyone can win in combat sports. I think everyone has got a chance. Rico is a big human being, and he might cause Usyk some problems with his movement. They move different.
“When I’ve sparred boxers in the past, the success I’ve had is very limited. I’ll hold my hands up and say I’m not going out pinging professional boxers in a boxing spar, but the success I’ve had is when I do stuff they’re not used to.
“I’ll be miles out of range, dive in, and do weird stuff. I won’t do the traditional one-two. Rico has the chance of doing that against Usyk. Doing different stuff that he’s not accustomed to with normal boxers.
“Does that mean he’s gonna win the fight? Not necessarily, but it means that he’s got a chance.”
Tom Aspinall’s UFC comeback has been pushed back
Tom Aspinall hasn’t stepped into the octagon since defending his heavyweight title at UFC 321 back in October. The bout against Ciryl Gane ended in a no-contest after just over four minutes, following a double eye poke.
The injury has caused ongoing problems for the 33-year-old, leading to surgery and an extended recovery period.
Aspinall recently shared some encouraging news after an eye scan, hinting that he was close to being cleared for training. But according to a more recent update on Instagram, doctors have advised him to hold off a bit longer.
“I’ve just had my recent scan,” he said. “I thought it was going to get cleared, actually, to spar and fight straight away, but they actually said they’ve given me another couple of months, so I’m just waiting.”
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