Rico Verhoeven says he is staying in boxing after pushing Oleksandr Usyk to the edge in Egypt, and he is ready to face major heavyweight names. Verhoeven was level on two scorecards and ahead on the third when the fight was stopped with one second left in round 11, and although he accepts the official result, he still sees himself as the “uncrowned king.”
The Dutch kickboxing great said Usyk’s elusiveness impressed him most, but nothing about the fight surprised him. “He’s hard to hit, man. At least he’s hard to hit clean,” Verhoeven said. He also explained why he had to fight Usyk aggressively rather than try to outbox him from range: “Me coming into boxing, thinking I’m going to outbox pound for pound the best boxer at least from this era, that doesn’t make any sense.”
Verhoeven still wants the rematch, but he knows Usyk has WBC duties with Agit Kabayel waiting as mandatory challenger. “Yeah, that’s the fight I’m looking for,” Verhoeven said when asked if Usyk remains the top target. “I know there’s a lot of stuff going on in and around boxing, so it might not happen straight away. But let’s see.”
He does not plan to wait around. Verhoeven says he wants to stay active and is open to names like Daniel Dubois, Francis Ngannou, Anthony Joshua and Moses Itauma. “Whatever the big names are out there, I’m ready,” he said. “Whatever event we have. Whatever show we’re gonna do. Let’s go.”
The only complicated name is Tyson Fury, because of Verhoeven’s relationship with Peter Fury, who now trains him. Verhoeven has sparred Tyson before and admitted the fight would be awkward, but not impossible. “I would fight him but I don’t think that would make too much sense with my relationship with Peter,” he said. “But if that fight was presented to me, it is what it is.”
Image Credit: DAZN