Rico Verhoeven Kicks Down Doors in Boxing World: 'This Only Calls for More'

"What on earth is he doing?" was Souwer's initial reaction upon hearing about the fight between Verhoeven and Usyk. "You're an actor, but even in the heat of the moment, you start acting a bit like an old-school boxer. Don't do it, Rico, don't do it," Souwer laughs in conversation with this site. "I thought it looked terrible, and it wasn't exemplary boxing behavior. But... a few rounds later, I thought: 'Could it actually work?'."

Verhoeven stunned the combat sports world with an iron-strong performance against Usyk, to which the undefeated Ukrainian had no answer. Souwer couldn't believe his own eyes either. "Usyk just wasn't showing up. A feeling crept over me that everything Rico and his team had devised might actually work. With his physique and fighting style, he couldn't have approached it any other way than he did against Usyk."

While the boxing technique might not have been great according to Souwer, he was deeply impressed by Verhoeven. "That stance, I thought it looked awful... But I have to give Rico a lot of credit. How he embraced it, took it on, and prepared himself. And how his plan worked. He didn't deserve to be counted out by the referee, but I'm drawing a line under it. This only calls for more."

According to Souwer, the Netherlands has made a surge as a boxing nation thanks to Verhoeven's performance. "Globally, we're not yet ready to consistently compete at world-class boxing, but Rico has kicked open the door. Compliments to him, but he shouldn't act too much," Souwer says with a wink.

What should Verhoeven do now, according to Souwer? "That's up to him. I would continue for another two or three years and would advise him to stick to boxing. Or he could go into exhibition fights, for example in the UFC, but you should mainly do that for the money. It doesn't matter as much there whether you win or lose."