Verhoeven cites kickboxing record to defend WBC title shot

Rico Verhoeven has defended his World Boxing Council title shot by pointing to his kickboxing achievements. The heavyweight says his kickboxing career mirrors Oleksandr Usyk's boxing dominance and merits WBC recognition.

“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 competes at 123 kilograms and is transitioning from kickboxing to boxing. The WBC awards titles across both sports. His comparison to Usyk references a unified heavyweight champion, though Verhoeven has not named a boxing opponent or specified when he plans to fight under WBC rules.

What it moves

The comments address criticism of Verhoeven's path to a WBC title opportunity without a boxing record. Speaking to BBC Sport, he said his kickboxing run justifies the sanctioning body's backing. The WBC has not announced a date or opponent for Verhoeven's first professional boxing contest.

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