The former heavyweight boxing world champion, Andy Ruiz Jr., praised Rico Verhoeven ahead of the kickboxing icon’s world title clash against Oleksandr Usyk at the Pyramids of Giza later this month.
A pound-for-pound staple for years, Usyk cleared out the cruiserweight division, has lapped the super heavyweights, and takes part in his first novelty fight on May 23 atop a Spencer Brown and Eddie Hearn card on a DAZN pay-per-view.
For Ruiz, Verhoven is “no joke” because of his considerable combat experience. Regardless, he still expects Usyk to triumph.
“Usyk should win,” he told Casino. “He’s an experienced fighter. He’s the champion. He’s the undisputed heavyweight champion.”
“But I heard a lot of people saying for him to be careful against Verhoeven.”
Often described as the gold standard of heavyweight kickboxing, Verhoeven ruled the division for more than a decade through a blend of technical precision, volume punching, elite conditioning, and ring IQ.
The Dutchman became the long-reigning GLORY heavyweight champion by defeating a generation of contenders including Badr Hari, Jamal Ben Saddik, and Artem Vakhitov.
Verhoeven fights behind a disciplined jab, relentless pace, and measured aggression rather than one-shot chaos, making him one of combat sports’ most dominant modern champions, regardless of discipline.
It’s no surprise, therefore, to see Ruiz both praise him, yet pick against him.
“I’ve seen a few little videos of him hitting the bag and some fights,” he said, “but I think Usyk beats him, especially if he’s not using his legs.”
