Anthony Joshua is expected to return to action in February or March following his knockout of Jake Paul, and the two-time world champion has been linked to a surprising name in Rico Verhoeven – a left-field pick unknown to many boxing fans.
Joshua’s next outing will reportedly tee up the long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury and as a result, it is understandable that ‘AJ’ and Eddie Hearn may target a low-risk dance partner as not to put a lucrative scrap with ‘The Gypsy King’ at risk.
After taking on a YouTuber-turned-boxer this month, Hearn was quizzed on the out of the blue prospect of Joshua facing Dutch kickboxer Verhoeven rather than a recognised heavyweight contender – a plan which he did not dismiss.
“In an ideal world, that [February] would be the time. We’re going to see when he’s ready. Rico – or whoever it is – we haven’t finalised that yet.”
Hearn has since said that March looks more likely, and also pointed out that ‘AJ’ would happily go straight into a Fury fight in summer if that can be negotiated.
If the Verhoeven route is the way they go, it would mean that none of Joshua’s last three victories would have come against an established boxer heading into a fight with Fury.
However, whilst Verhoeven is unfamiliar to the boxing world, he is known to Fury, having been a sparring partner and good friend of the two-time heavyweight champion since 2015 and a mainstay in the camps of Fury’s cousin, Hughie Fury.
Verhoeven is recognised as one of the greatest kickboxers of all time, boasting a record of 66-10 and holding the GLORY (kickboxing’s main promotional firm) heavyweight title for an astonishing 4,220 days.
‘The King of Kickboxing’ vacated that belt last month, calling time on his legendary reign after 13 successful title defences and interestingly stating “it’s not a goodbye, it’s an until we meet again,” possibly suggesting he will return to the franchise post-AJ.
Alternatively, Verhoeven has been linked to a move to the UFC, as he seeks to become a global superstar in either the squared circle or The Octagon, with the Joshua deal likely to determine which of those options the 36-year-old pursues.
