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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Former world champion Oleksandr Usyk commented on the trainer’s decision of Oleksandr Usyk on the eve of the fight against Rico Verhoeven. The athlete is convinced that the course of the fight was influenced not by the abandonment of the services of experienced coach Yuriy Tkachenko, but by Usyk’s underestimation.
In an interview with vRINGe, Gvozdyk stated that Usyk did not perceive Verhoeven as a dangerous opponent.
Usyk was not in form.
Moreover, the Kharkiv native suggested that his 39-year-old fellow countryman was not at his best.
Because Alexander in his best form would have dealt with him in 3 rounds. But Verhoeven deserves credit as well. A big guy. He used his cards to the fullest. That’s how it happened. Still, all questions were resolved in the last round. What more can be said. What happened, happened.
— said Gvozdyk.
Answering the question whether a rematch is needed in this case, the experienced Gvozdyk explains that it will all depend on the offers.
"If there is an opportunity, if we can plainly say, to make good money from it, then it can be done again. What would be the purpose of staging a rematch? Verhoeven needs it. And Alexander? If he wants to — it can be done. If he doesn’t want to, then it’s not needed," the boxer added.
What is known about Usyk’s coaching change
Alexander Krasyuk, Usyk’s former promoter, after the Verhoeven fight said that Yuriy Tkachenko is no longer the boxer's coach. At the same time he reported the termination of cooperation with manager Egis Klimas, who had worked with Usyk since 2016 year. Krasyuk did not disclose the reasons for the breakup, but noted that it was due to them that he and Klimas left the world champion’s team.
Reacting to these words, coach Yehor holub, who trained Usyk for the fight with Verhoeven, emphasized that only Tkachenko himself has the right to explain changes in Usyk’s coaching staff. Holub advised ignoring assumptions from external experts and anonymous social media accounts and denied rumors that he is allegedly Usyk’s godfather.
As a reminder, Usyk secured a technical knockout victory in the 11-round, although previously he trailed the opponent narrowly on the judges’ scorecards.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Причина була не в тренері: Гвоздик пояснив, чому Усик ледь не програв Верховену". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Channel 24.
