Verhoeven banking on kickboxing edge against Usyk

Rico Verhoeven believes his kickboxing background will give him a decisive advantage when he faces Oleksandr Usyk. The heavyweight says his unorthodox style and natural size will pose problems the unified champion has not encountered before.

“Usyk has pulled the puzzle of boxing out and put it back together, but I'm not a traditional boxer - I'm a kickboxer. My stance is different, my movement is different and I am a naturally big, athletic guy. When I hit him, he's going to feel a natural 20-kilo weight difference.”

— Rico Verhoeven, via BBC Sport

What Rico Verhoeven said

Verhoeven competes at 123 kg and has built his reputation outside traditional boxing. Usyk has operated across two weight classes and solved every puzzle put in front of him, but Verhoeven is betting that a kickboxer's movement and stance will present a different challenge. The two have been linked for a crossover bout that would pit Usyk's technical mastery against Verhoeven's power and frame.

What it moves

Verhoeven's confidence hinges on the physical gap between the two men. Speaking to BBC Sport, he said Usyk has mastered boxing's tactical nuances but added, "I'm not a traditional boxer - I'm a kickboxer. My stance is different, my movement is different and I am a naturally big, athletic guy. When I hit him, he's going to feel a natural 20-kilo weight difference." How Usyk's team responds to the callout will shape whether the crossover fight moves forward.

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