The announcement of kickboxing king Rico Verhoeven stepping into the boxing ring with arguably the best fighter in the world has received a mixed reception from boxing fans.
Many see the crossover contest as a retirement payday for Oleksandr Usyk, who will defend his WBC heavyweight title under the backdrop of one of the planet’s most iconic settings.
Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) has scoured the globe during his professional career, taking on the best the sport has to offer to become an undisputed cruiserweight champion and a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion. Whereas, Verhoeven (1-0, 1 KO), despite achieving legacy in his own discipline, his boxing pedigree leaves a mountain to climb against a man who has Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury, and Anthony Joshua on his list of most recent victims. In comparison, Verhoeven’s limited experience, with just his hands for weapons, suggests an easy night for the Ukrainian southpaw.
Hailing from Bergen op Zoom in the Netherlands, a small city close to the Belgian border, Verhoeven was first led into combat sports to practice karate by his black belt father at just five years old. Just two years later he began kickboxing, which led to a conquering of the sport. Verhoeven is considered the greatest kickboxer of all time, never losing a bout in his last 22 fights over the last ten years. He walked away from the GLORY organization last year when not renewing his contract as the reigning heavyweight champion. Decisive victories against the likes of Badr Hari, Jamal Ben Saddik, and Artem Vakhitov have seen his name etched into the history books. Verhoeven’s record stands at: 66-10 (21 KOs).
In 2015 the UFC was sharply ascending into the mainstream to challenge boxing as the premier combat sport. Verhoeven would try his hand at both in 2014 and 2015. Both fights came against low-quality opposition though. Verhoeven’s boxing debut came against Janos Finfera (0-5 at the time) in a less than glittering event in Hessen, Germany. He would claim a second-round knockout, but it would be the last time we would see him in a boxing ring. The next year would see Verhoeven make his MMA debut instead. An 0-1 Viktor Bogutzki would succumb to a stoppage defeat on Romanian Xtreme Fighting in Sibu. Verhoeven appeared to be taking his MMA much more seriously than his boxing career, moving to the USA to train at the American Kickboxing Academy alongside Luke Rockhold and Daniel Cormier.
However, Verhoeven would continue with kickboxing. “It’s not my basic ambition,” Verhoeven said of MMA on The Joe Rogan Podcast. “If you jump into something different, you should have the will and want to be the best. I don’t necessarily have the will to be the best at MMA.” The Dutchman would move into a period that defined his kickboxing career in dominating fashion.
Will Verhoeven have “the will” to have any chance against Usyk? Today it was announced that Peter Fury will be in his corner to help tackle the Ukrainian superstar. Fury worked in the corner for his nephew Tyson Fury during his first run as heavyweight world champion. On a night where the heavyweight lineage was passed, Fury helped secure the WBA, WBO, and IBF titles in a shutout points win against another Ukrainian, Wladimir Klitschko, at ESPRIT Arena in Düsseldorf in 2015.
“For 15 years now I’ve always done the boxing side with him,” Fury said in an interview with Boxing King Media. “Obviously he is a kickboxer. Him and his trainer Dennis Krauweel, you know it’s a close-knit team. I’ve always been a part of the team and always worked on boxing, with his hands to implement and blend in with his kicks. He’s been around boxing. He’s sparred with a lot of the top boxers in the world, but ultimately for kickboxing.
“Now we are involved in boxing, obviously that’s my job. I’ve always had a close relationship with Rick and Dennis. They are very close to me. They have shown me a lot of loyalty over the years and it’s my turn now to repay that loyalty by getting him in the boxing shape of his life. He’s very educated. He’s got a heart bigger than his body, I’ve always told him that. He’s a very, very nice humble guy. He’s a lot like Usyk. These two are very similar.”
Size will be on the side of the Dutchman. Verhoeven will come in two inches taller and will also weigh much higher on fight night. Verhoeven weighed in at 253.5 pounds for his last fight in November. However, two fights previously saw him hit the 270 mark. Compared to Usyk, who scaled at 227.25 pounds last June against Daniel Dubois, Verhoeven will be much larger on May 23.
“He’s buzzing,” Fury added. “He’s got nothing to lose. He’s a real fighter and a real professional guy. He’s no mug. Definitely not.”
The migration from kickboxing to boxing has seen many fighters achieve world title success. But they didn’t jump in at the top with the likes of Usyk to start a career. Verhoeven’s chances are minimal against the reigning IBF, WBA, and WBC world champion in a fight that could well be Usyk’s last at 39 year old.
