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Fabio Wardley sums up Oleksandr Usyk choosing Verhoeven over undisputed fight

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Fabio Wardley had hoped to face Oleksandr Usyk in 2026, but Ukraine’s unified heavyweight ruler has instead proceeded with a left-field fight with Dutch kickboxer, Rico Verhoeven.

After knocking out Joseph Parker to get his hands on the WBO Interim heavyweight title, Wardley called for a showdown with Usyk, hoping to secure a shot at the coveted undisputed throne.

However, Usyk responded by vacating the WBO world title – with Wardley being elevated to world champion as a result – and was linked to a return to fighting across the pond in possible meetings against either Deontay Wilder or Andy Ruiz Jr.

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Two weeks ago, it was instead announced that Usyk will head to Cairo, Egypt, to defend his WBC heavyweight world title against Verhoeven – who boasts a professional boxing record of just 1-0.

Speaking to Boxing News, Wardley admitted that he found the news ‘underwhelming’, declaring that he hopes Usyk will soon return to ‘actual’ professional boxing.

“I think it [my reaction] was the same as the rest of the boxing world, it [the announcement] was quite underwhelming. I understand that he has earned the right to do what he wants but I at least expected it to be [against] an active boxer.

“I don’t actually know much about Verhoeven in terms of what his quality level is, but I expected it [the fight] to be against a decent calibre professional boxer, but if it’s not, fine, do your thing.

“Hopefully he returns to actual professional boxing, against some of the top elites.”

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Usyk-Verhoeven will take place at the Pyramids of Giza on Saturday, May 23, as Verhoeven has the chance to become the fastest heavyweight world champion in boxing history.

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Celebrate International Women’s Month by watching ONE Championship’s CRAZIEST women’s KO’s in history

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To celebrate International Women’s Month this year, ONE Championship paid tribute to its top-notch female fighters by sharing on social media some of the craziest knockout finishes they have fashioned.

ONE uploaded a 13-minute video on its official YouTube channel featuring impressive KO performances and the unparalleled heart of women warriors in the promotion’s history.

Leading the video package is double world champion Stella Hemetsberger’s opening-round KO of Polish opponent Vanessa Romanowski in their Muay Thai battle at ONE Friday Fights 104 in April last year. Midway into the first stanza, the Austrian sensation set up a crisp combination, which she capped with a clean head kick that instantly dropped her opponent unconscious.

The win continued her impressive run in ONE Championship‘s Friday Fights series before ascending to the promotion’s main roster.

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

Thai superstar Stamp Fairtex’s second-round KO of Alyse Anderson of the United States at ONE Fight Night 10 in May 2023 also makes the video package. The former three-sport world champion introduced herself to a wider American audience in the Denver, Colorado event, when she stopped Anderson with a crushing body kick that rendered the latter unable to continue.

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Atomweight kickboxing world champion Phetjeeja’s successful return to Muay Thai at ONE Fight Night 38 in December is spotlighted as well. ‘The Queen’ pummeled Polish striker Martyna Dominczak with powerful punches for an opening-round TKO finish.

Jackie Buntan, too, is also part of the video feature with her first-round demolition of Australian Diandra Martin at ONE Fight Night 10. The Filipino-American striker showcased her punching power with a solid combination to the body and head from which her opponent could not recover from.

Other female fighters whose KO finishes are included in the feature are ONE atomweight world champions Allycia Hellen Rodrigues (Muay Thai) and Denice Zamboanga (MMA), Burmese star Vero and retired former ONE world champion Janet Todd.

Check out ONE Championship’s video post below:

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Stella Hemetsberger adds her name to ONE Championship’s stellar female champions

Austrian striker Stella Hemetsberger has been with ONE Championship for one-and-a-half years and has been unstoppable. She punctuated it by becoming world champion in her last two matches.

The 27-year-old Phuket Fight Club affiliate became the ONE strawweight Muay Thai queen in her fourth fight in the promotion. She vied for the vacant belt and dominated Jackie Buntan in their five-round championship fight at ONE Fight Night 35 last September to win by unanimous decision.

She then followed it up with another world title win last month at ONE Fight Night 40, taking Buntan’s strawweight kickboxing gold. While Buntan put up a tougher stand than in their first encounter, Hemetsberger stayed the course and held on for the split decision victory.

Hemetsberger is thrilled with how things have panned out for her in ONE Championship, but said she is not yet done going for greater heights.

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