Robert Garcia says Oleksandr Usyk’s difficult fight with Rico Verhoeven changed the way he views a possible future matchup with David Benavidez.
Garcia expected Usyk to dominate Verhoeven, who entered the fight with almost no professional boxing experience despite his legendary kickboxing career. Instead, Verhoeven gave the unified heavyweight champion serious problems before losing by controversial 11th-round stoppage.
“It wasn’t one of those performances that I expected from Usyk,” Garcia told YSM Sports Media. “I wasn’t expecting it.”
That performance has made Garcia interested in seeing Usyk against Benavidez, who recently stopped Gilberto Ramirez in six rounds to win the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles. Benavidez has said he does not expect to move to heavyweight for several years, but Turki Alalshikh has already mentioned Usyk vs. Benavidez as a possible 2027 fight.
Garcia believes Benavidez would win if the matchup happens. “I think Benavidez beats Usyk,” he said. “I know it won’t be easy, but I do believe Benavidez beats him.”
For now, Benavidez remains focused on other goals. He still holds the WBC light heavyweight title and has made it clear that Dmitry Bivol is the fight he wants most, with full unification at 175lbs still the priority.
Image Credit: Queensberry