Kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven has accepted a major career opportunity to feature on the prospective blockbuster undercard for a potential showdown between British heavyweight rivals Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, although he admits he is still waiting for official confirmation on whether the event will actually materialise.
The 37-year-old Dutchman has not stepped into a combat sports ring since his high-profile May encounter with unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. In that bout, Usyk secured an eleventh-round finish, but the Ukrainian technician was notably forced to work surprisingly hard for his victory, enduring a tougher test than many pundits and fans had anticipated against the transitioning striker.
Prior to his venture into the elite levels of professional boxing, Verhoeven had carefully crafted a distinguished and dominant career as a kickboxing champion, establishing himself as one of the most formidable strikers of his generation. Despite his legendary status in the kickboxing world, his formal professional boxing resume remains remarkably sparse. His only official professional boxing match took place back in 2014, where he secured a victory against a little-known heavyweight opponent.
Given his lack of extensive professional boxing experience, it came as a sizable shock to the wider combat sports community that the Dutchman was even somewhat competitive against Usyk. The pound-for-pound star naturally entered their bout as an almighty favourite, yet Verhoeven managed to showcase resilience and technical competence that earned him newfound respect within the boxing fraternity.
Looking ahead to his next outing in the ring, Verhoeven has now revealed that discussions are underway regarding an even more explosive matchup. The heavyweight has disclosed that he could end up facing former WBC champion Deontay Wilder. Wilder enters potential negotiations coming off a split decision victory over veteran British contender Derek Chisora in April.
At the age of 40, the American knockout artist known as the "Bronze Bomber" is certainly not what he once was during his destructive athletic peak, having endured punishing defeats in recent years. Even so, on paper at least, the heavy-handed American would still be widely considered the clear favourite against Verhoeven given his decades of elite-level professional boxing experience and proven puncher’s chance against any heavyweight on the planet.
Speaking in an interview with talkSPORT, the former kickboxing kingpin offered insight into the current status of the negotiations, explaining that while he has formally accepted the proposition, he is still awaiting final confirmation on whether he will actually appear at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on the rumored December date.
Detailing the status of the bout, Verhoeven explained that the proposal came specifically for a major year-end event. He noted that while the offer is real and has been met with a positive response from his team, nothing is definitively locked in stone yet. "We got an offer for the December 11 card. I can’t confirm just yet that I will be on the card," Verhoeven told talkSPORT. "What I can confirm is that they offered me a fight with Deontay Wilder, and I said yes."
While Verhoeven has enthusiastically accepted the offer to step through the ropes against one of the division’s most feared punchers of the modern era, the landscape of heavyweight boxing remains notoriously fluid. Alongside the reports linking Verhoeven to the high-profile card, there have also been alternative rumors circulating within the sport regarding Deontay Wilder’s potential next steps.
Some industry reports have suggested that Wilder could alternatively face Australian standout Jai Opetaia. In that reported scenario, Opetaia could potentially make his long-awaited heavyweight debut on the exact same December 11 date, before subsequently targeting a return to the cruiserweight division for a high-stakes clash against David Benavidez sometime next year.
As promoters continue to navigate the complex logistics required to finalize the massive Fury versus Joshua event and its supporting bouts, fighters like Verhoeven remain on standby. For now, the kickboxing star has made his intentions abundantly clear, leaving the ball firmly in the court of the event organizers as fight fans await official word on whether the intriguing transatlantic clash between Wilder and Verhoeven will ultimately make it to the grand stage in Cardiff.
