Verhoeven says WBC backed his title shot after 12-year reign
Rico Verhoeven says the WBC recognised his kickboxing dominance when offering him a shot at Oleksandr Usyk. The heavyweight kickboxing champion drew parallels between his career and Usyk's boxing success.
“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 has competed in kickboxing at heavyweight. He referenced a WBC title shot against Usyk during an interview with BBC Sport. The sanctioning body has previously awarded belts across combat sports including kickboxing and Muay Thai.
What it moves
Verhoeven is using his kickboxing pedigree to justify a crossover attempt. Whether the WBC follows through on any discussions remains unclear. Usyk's camp has not responded to the claim about sanctioning recognition.
Source: bbc.com. Full Rico Verhoeven fight history and recent news at boxingnews.com.
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