Verhoeven Explains Why He 'Deserves' Usyk Fight

Rico Verhoeven, with only one professional boxing match under his belt, is set to face heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk for one of his titles on May 23rd in Egypt. The Dutchman was originally slated to fight Anthony Joshua, but the Brit sustained injuries in a car accident last December.

Now, Verhoeven aims to become the first man to defeat Usyk when they clash in front of the pyramids.

“I don’t think it’s up to me to judge if I deserve something,” Verhoeven stated. “I openly said I’d be willing to fight Usyk because I’m the undisputed kickboxing champion, and he’s the undisputed boxing champion – how cool would it be if these two worlds collided?

The promoter decided it was a great idea, and they put a belt on the line for the fight. I accepted it that way. I understand that for people who don’t follow kickboxing, my achievements might not be familiar. But the WBC also has Muay Thai and kickboxing divisions, so for them, it made sense. I am one of the greatest, if not the greatest, kickboxer of all time, so I have the necessary achievements, and a real title fight makes sense.”

Usyk, who relinquished one of his world titles rather than face Fabio Wardley, defended his decision to fight Verhoeven: “For me, this is a challenge. Rico is a great guy, a dangerous man. For once, I want to do what I want, not what I have to. Very often, I do what others want. You have to box this guy, or that one, or the other. I say: okay. Now I’m doing what I want.”

Verhoeven, for his part, is confident that size will matter in the ring. “I’ll bring the angles from kickboxing, I’ll offer a different kind of puzzle,” he added. “I’m huge, I weigh around 125 kg. If I land my best shot on him, of course, he’ll go down. He’s like an overgrown cruiserweight. I’m a natural-born heavyweight. That’s a big difference. It will happen if I hit him clean with my best shot, and if not – we’ll just win.”