Can Rico Verhoeven beat Oleksandr Usyk? Kickboxer’s rival highlights ‘X factors’
Exclusive interview: Verhoeven’s former training partner and almost-opponent, Alistair Overeem, has weighed in on the heavyweight boxing match
Can Rico Verhoeven actually beat Oleksandr Usyk ? On Saturday , that is exactly what the kickboxing icon will try to do , as he challenges Usyk for boxing ’s WBC heavyweight title. Usyk is the unified champion, unbeaten as a professional , and is a former Olympic gold medalist.
The Ukrainian made his mark as the greatest cruiserweight of his generation, earning the undisputed titles in that division, before doing the same at heavyweight. But Verhoeven possesses a similar legacy in the kickboxing world, having reigned as Glory champion for 11 years, and having won each of his last 22 fights. As stated above: the Dutchman, 37, will come to win.
Rico Verhoeven is a great in the world of kickboxing (PA) It’s a sentiment echoed to The Independent by Alistair Overeem , a kickboxing star turned UFC legend, who previously trained with Verhoeven and even prepared more than once to fight him. “I know Rico quite well,” Overeem said over Zoom. “I mean, it was 15 or 16 years ago that I first heard heard of him.
He was in my training camp. We were actually supposed to fight on two or three occasions, so I’ve had camp on him – a lot of analysis, a lot of training. “I’ve been in the fight game a couple of decades, I study fighters, I study patterns, I study everything.