Rico Verhoeven says he feels ready for the biggest crossover test of his career when he faces Oleksandr Usyk next week, calling the matchup “undisputed versus undisputed” and describing it as the kind of fight that belongs in a movie script.
Verhoeven spoke to DAZN on May 23 about the bout, saying he has spent years preparing for a moment like this. He said he has been kickboxing since the age of six, has been working with Team Fury since 2010 or 11 and has sparred a long list of top heavyweights, including Kabayel, Dillian Whyte, Hughie Fury and Tyson Fury.
The Dutch fighter said pressure comes with the territory, but that he has learned to stay steady. “Oh, the pressure is always there but I think the most important thing is enjoy the process instead of enjoying just the fight, or enjoying ‘when I achieve this, I’m going to feel like that.’ I just try to keep it level and try to be crazy excited and thankful,” he said.
That confidence comes from a career he says has already taught him how to live under the bright lights. Verhoeven said he has been dominating heavyweight kickboxing for more than a decade and that, from his point of view, he is used to carrying a target on his back. “I understand that people think that, and I think it’s up to me to give them some context because they’re boxing fans. Most of them probably don’t follow kickboxing or don’t know the sport of kickboxing, so they have no clue who Rico is,” he said. “And I’ve been dominating the heavyweight kickboxing sport for over a decade. I’m used to the big lights, big stage, the interviews, the pressure. I’ve been having a target on my back for such a long time because I have what people wanted. For me, I feel like a fish in the water here.”
The fight also carries the appeal of a rare crossover meeting between two athletes who have ruled different worlds. Usyk has been dominant since moving up from cruiserweight to heavyweight, and Verhoeven said that is part of what makes the pairing so compelling. He pointed to other bouts that would have made sense too, including those against Francis Ngannou and Anthony Joshua, but said this one stands out because of the contrast. “For me, to be honest, it made sense,” he said. “The other fights [against Francis Ngannou or Anthony Joshua] also made sense in a way because they were also considered big crossover events. Yeah, Oleksandr Usyk, who’s been dominating the sport for such a long time from the cruiserweight, now in the heavyweight…Undisputed versus undisputed. Two different worlds collide with each other. Wow. I think it’s a crazy movie script.”
For Verhoeven, the matchup is as much about experience as ambition. He said he has trained long enough, sparred enough and lived through enough high-pressure moments to treat the moment like another step rather than a disruption. “I’ve been kickboxing since the age of six, and I’ve been focusing on my boxing within kickboxing — I’ve been working with Team Fury since like 2010 or 11 — and I’ve sparred everybody, sparred Kabayel, sparred Dillian Whyte, sparred Hughie Fury, sparred Tyson Fury. I’ve sparred everybody,” he said. “So I’m used to keeping my legs on the ground.”
Next week’s fight gives Verhoeven a chance to turn that long résumé into a result against one of boxing’s most accomplished champions. It is the kind of bout that tests not only skill, but whether a fighter built in one sport can carry that authority into another and still make it look natural.
