Verhoeven cites kickboxing reign to back WBC heavyweight bid

Rico Verhoeven says his kickboxing dominance mirrors Oleksandr Usyk's boxing path and justifies his WBC heavyweight title shot. The 123 kg fighter pointed to the sanctioning body's recognition of his 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 moving from kickboxing into professional boxing at heavyweight. The WBC awards belts in both kickboxing and Muay Thai alongside its traditional boxing divisions. Verhoeven drew the parallel between his own stretch atop kickboxing and Usyk's unified heavyweight championship run.

What it moves

The WBC has not announced whether Verhoeven will fight for a regional belt or enter a title eliminator. His kickboxing pedigree does not carry automatic ranking points in boxing, so the board will need to rule on his placement. Verhoeven's claim rests on cross-sport recognition rather than a boxing record.

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