Rico Verhoeven continues to attract praise for the competitive performance he produced during his challenge for the heavyweight boxing world titles against the defending champion, Oleksandr Usyk, atop a Riyadh Season card that took place on Saturday, the 23rd of May, in front of the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.The kickboxing icon sat down for an exclusive chat with GIVEMESPORT during a week when the entire combat sport community rallied around him, telling him his showing had been “amazing.”The 37-year-old was seemingly presenting Usyk with more problems than he had to find a solution for when he took on more established boxers, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Daniel Dubois in recent years.
While reflecting on the event, Verhoeven revealed what Usyk said to him, away from the microphones, immediately after the Ukrainian secured a somewhat fortuitous and cruel 11th round stoppage at the Dutchman’s expense.
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‘I Truly Believe a Mistake Was Made’ – Rico Verhoeven on His Loss to Usyk
One of the many ways in which Verhoeven became so beloved in kickboxing wasn’t just because of his extraordinary wins, including two over Badr Hari, or his physical and technical prowess, but, also, because of his mental fortitude. There were numerous examples of Verhoeven looking beaten, only to rally and win moments in later rounds.
We asked Verhoeven whether he felt robbed of the chance to prove that mettle once more during the Usyk fight. Referee Mark Lyson bizarrely withdrew Rico from the event after the bell had already sounded for the end of the 11th round.The challenger would have had a full minute to recover before the 12th and final round, if he were allowed to continue. Excuses, though, weren’t something that Verhoeven wanted to entertain. “Yeah, this might have happened. But I don’t like that,” he admitted.
“Let’s just stay with the facts. This is what happened. But … I truly believe that a mistake was made. And that was that.”
What Oleksandr Usyk Told Rico Verhoeven After Their Fight
Following the heartbreak of being denied the opportunity to continue, and with Usyk advancing his unblemished record to 25 wins (16 KOs), there was a moment that both fighters shared in the ring.
The pair explained the typical post-fight pleasantries, before Usyk shared his honest five-word assessment of Verhoeven’s performance, telling him:
“You’re such a good fighter.”
Usyk’s comment contradicts his statement on social media in the hours following the fight, where he joked that he had deliberately taken it easy on Rico to make the fight last longer.
Because of the way the fight finished, and the way in which Verhoeven managed to leave a lasting impression on boxing fans, a second fight between them is not out of the equation.It’s a rematch that the sport’s financier, Turki Alalshikh, also wants to make happen, providing Usyk doesn’t honor a mandatory challenge from the deserving fighter, Agit Kabayel.Other fighters Verhoeven is open to competing against include Francis Ngannou, Anthony Joshua (pending availability), and Deontay Wilder. He ruled out fighting Tyson Fury, though, whom he’s sparred with and trained with, through his coach, Peter Fury.
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