Rico Verhoeven to face Oleksandr Usyk following Anthony Joshua crash
Kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven will challenge Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC heavyweight title in Egypt on 23 May after a tragic car crash derailed his planned bout with Anthony Joshua.
The 36-year-old Dutchman had initially been lined up to face Joshua in a crossover boxing match scheduled for 2026.
However, those plans were abandoned when the British heavyweight was involved in a fatal collision in Nigeria.
With the former world champion stepping away to mourn the loss of two teammates, Verhoeven and his camp quickly pivoted to find a new opponent.
Undisputed champions collide
The historic encounter is set to take place against the spectacular backdrop of the Pyramids of Giza.
Speaking at a press conference in London, the kickboxing icon explained how the tragic circumstances unexpectedly led to a world title opportunity.
“The fight was there, only the tragic accident happened, so that’s what derailed everything,” said Verhoeven.
“AJ needed some time to just resettle, get back to himself, and that was that.”
Instead of waiting on the sidelines, the Glory heavyweight titleholder suggested pitting his own supremacy against the Ukrainian’s boxing dominance.
“I said: ‘What about Usyk? That makes sense. Undisputed versus undisputed’,” he added.
WBC title credentials questioned
Despite his legendary status in a different discipline, an immediate shot at the prestigious WBC strap has raised eyebrows among boxing purists.
The challenger dismissed criticism regarding his lack of professional boxing experience by pointing to the governing body’s own infrastructure.
“I understand that for the people that are not into the kickboxing game, they do not know my credentials,” he explained.
“The WBC also have a Muay Thai kickboxing department, so for them, it did make sense.”
In preparation for his monumental test in the desert, Verhoeven has enlisted the expertise of veteran boxing trainer Peter Fury.
