Kickboxing Icon Stunned by Rico Verhoeven's Bizarre Comparison: 'Come On, Man'

On May 23rd, at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, Verhoeven and boxing icon Usyk will step into the ring for an official fight. Bonjasky is looking forward to it, but also has his reservations about the bout, especially after Verhoeven's statements. "I was watching Vandaag Inside and he compared his own fight to Rumble in the Jungle. I understand it, maybe he's saying it to hype it up, but you shouldn't bring up certain iconic events and compare things to them," Bonjasky told Sportnieuws.nl.

"I sometimes say I'm a handsome guy, but I say it jokingly. He was dead serious, claiming this fight is comparable to George Foreman versus Muhammad Ali (in 1975 in former Zaire, still the greatest boxing match ever, ed.). People on this side of the world woke up in the middle of the night to watch that fight. Believe me: in Zaire (now Congo-Kinshasa, ed.), nobody will be waking up to watch this match."

Bonjasky, himself a renowned kickboxing world champion in his prime, was taken aback when he heard Verhoeven say it. "Come on, man, there are more ways to sell a fight. I also think this is unique and big, but there have been many bigger fights. Now you're talking about a fight... in two or three years, we won't be talking about it anymore. We're still talking about Rumble in the Jungle fifty years later."

According to the Dutch kickboxing icon, it also doesn't help that Verhoeven is actually no match for Usyk. "If I ask who wins between PSG and Ajax, everyone will say PSG. Here too: Usyk is heavily favored. I say that as an analyst looking at the numbers. I hope Rico wins, but Usyk has defeated everyone across three divisions. Wouldn't it be strange if a kickboxer suddenly beat him now? Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois, and Tyson Fury all failed to beat Usyk."

Verhoeven would have to use his conditioning, which Bonjasky believes he has in abundance, against the Ukrainian to stand a chance. Especially in the early rounds. In kickboxing, Verhoeven's conditioning was never truly tested, according to Bonjasky, but against Usyk, it could make all the difference. "If he manages to win this fight, he'll be in the history books forever. Then he will have truly achieved something great."

Could he then compare himself to boxing legend Ali? Bonjasky laughs heartily at the thought. "He wouldn't even come close, and we should all stay away from comparing ourselves to such legends. Many people in the Netherlands want to see the fight, but nobody far beyond that. They'll think: just a fight against a 'nobody'."