Rico Verhoeven says WBC title shot justified by kickboxing reign

Rico Verhoeven has defended his WBC heavyweight title shot by pointing to his kickboxing record. The Dutch fighter will move into boxing at 123 kg after the sanctioning body awarded him credentials.

“Like what Oleksandr did within boxing, I did within kickboxing for 12 years. Defeat everybody and some people multiple times. The WBC is also the only organisation that looks at kickboxing and Muay Thai. So for them, they recognised and gave me my credentials.”

— Rico Verhoeven, via BBC Sport

What Rico Verhoeven said

Verhoeven is making the switch from kickboxing to boxing under WBC sanction. The organisation has recognised his kickboxing achievements as part of its wider combat sports remit. He compared his kickboxing dominance to Oleksandr Usyk's boxing unification run.

What it moves

The WBC's decision to grant Verhoeven a heavyweight title shot has drawn scrutiny from boxing traditionalists. Verhoeven's crossover bid follows other kickboxers who have attempted the move with mixed results. His next step will depend on the WBC's heavyweight schedule.

Source: bbc.com. Full Rico Verhoeven fight history and recent news at boxingnews.com.