Rico Verhoeven recently made headlines for his near-upset of Oleksandr Usyk in Egypt on Saturday night. The kickboxing world champion came agonizingly close to defeating the unified heavyweight champion before a controversial 11th-round stoppage,
During an appearance on talkSPORT Boxing, Verhoeven sat down with Simon Jordan and the panel to discuss his future in boxing.
When asked directly whether he believed he could beat any heavyweight boxer in the world right now, Rico did not hesitate.
“100%,” he said flatly.
Pressed on whether that confidence extended to Tyson Fury specifically, Verhoeven doubled down.
“100%. That’s why I’m here,” he said.
And when Anthony Joshua’s name was brought up, Rico pointed to his performance against Usyk as proof that he belongs at the elite level.
“Of course. I was so close to beating Usyk and they all got beaten twice by that guy,” he said.
The reasoning behind Rico’s confidence is rooted in what he felt he demonstrated against Usyk. The scorecards at the time of the stoppage read 95-95, 95-95, and 96-94 in his favor, and Rico believes he was firmly in control before an 11th-round uppercut changed the match.
“I felt like I was a lot closer than you were just reading up on those scorecards,” Rico explained. “That is my opinion. That’s how I felt. That’s how I believed the match was going.”
Despite Usyk’s reputation as one of boxing’s most technically gifted fighters, Verhoeven said nothing inside the ring surprised him.
“I think he’s a phenomenal boxer,” Rico said, “but like my team told me, he’s not going to show you something that you have not seen before. And they were right.”
Rico also explained why kickboxing crossover boxers often create problems for elite boxers, saying their unorthodox style can be difficult to adjust to.
“Because we’re not coming from traditional boxing,” he said. “Maybe we move different, we show different angles. We’re used to also using our arms.”
He admitted that kickboxers are not pure boxers in the traditional sense, but believes they can adapt quickly enough to compete at a high level.
“We’re not like elite boxers just like them,” Rico continued, “but we can learn to a certain degree within a certain amount of time to get to a decent level.”
Verhoeven also pointed to the physical demands of kickboxing as an advantage when transitioning into boxing.
“Using our legs gave us a lot of extra condition and stamina in the legs,” he said. “We’re used to moving and bouncing around and taking a lot of punishment.”
