Verhoeven cites kickboxing reign to justify Usyk challenge

Rico Verhoeven says his kickboxing record mirrors Oleksandr Usyk's boxing dominance and earned him WBC recognition for a cruiserweight title shot. The Dutchman called on the sanctioning body's unique crossover stance to back 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 competes at 123 kg and has held multiple heavyweight kickboxing titles. Usyk unified the cruiserweight division before moving to heavyweight and recently lost his rematch at that weight. The WBC has previously granted ceremonial titles to crossover athletes but rarely sanctions full title fights between boxers and kickboxers.

What it moves

The comparison sets up a case for Verhoeven entering boxing at world level without a conventional ladder climb. Whether the WBC moves beyond recognition to an actual bout remains unclear. Usyk has not responded publicly to the call-out.

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