Eddie Hearn advises Oleksandr Usyk who to fight next

Eddie Hearn has advised Oleksandr Usyk to go for a rematch against Rico Verhoeven, whom the Ukrainian boxing great knocked out on May 23.

Usyk retained his WBC and Ring heavyweight titles after a controversial 11th-round stoppage victory over kickboxing legend Verhoeven in a dramatic contest staged beneath the Pyramids of Giza.

The kickboxer, competing in only his second professional boxing bout against one of the sport’s greats, surprised many with his skills.

Verhoeven appeared to be on the brink of a major upset, but referee Mark Lyson controversially stopped the contest in the 11th round.

The Dutch kickboxer was unhappy with the result of the bout and demanded a rematch.

Hearn, while speaking to Ring Magazine, suggested that a Verhoeven rematch is the only fight that makes sense for Usyk to take next.

“It’s the most obvious decision to make and it’s the rematch with Rico Verhoeven in Amsterdam. You really have been given a gift,” Hearn said.

“It’s a little bit like the gift we were given of Francis Ngannou, and by the way, ‘AJ ‘had to go and do that to him, but Fury made Ngannou look like a world-class heavyweight, which gave us the reason to fight Francis Ngannou that gave us the massive payday and ‘AJ’ demolished him.

“I think in the rematch, Usyk does a much cleaner job of beating Rico Verhoeven, and to me, commercially it’s a much bigger fight than fighting Agit Kabayal.”

Oleksandr Usyk, 39, has already cemented his legacy by becoming an undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight after claiming Olympic gold in 2012.

He has also defeated Britain’s Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois twice each during a remarkable professional career.