Rico Verhoeven is hoping to secure another major fight soon, following on from his efforts against Oleksandr Usyk in May. Now, the kickboxing star has been called out for a clash on the mammoth Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua card in December.
The Dutchman attempted to dethrone Usyk and become the most inexperienced world champion in the history of boxing by challenging for world honours in just his second professional boxing bout.
Whilst his chances were mocked upon the announcement of the contest – labelled by many as a farce – Verhoeven arguably gave Usyk the toughest fight of his glorious career, but ultimately lost via a controversial round 11 stoppage.
Since then, Verhoeven has vowed to remain in the sport and is seeking another chance to become a heavyweight world champion, having been linked to a potential bid for Filip Hrgovic’s IBF title on the Fury-Joshua bill in December.
Although, it seems as though Hrgovic will instead remain on the sidelines and target a homecoming event in Croatia; where he would be expected to take on mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez in early 2027.
Despite his title shot looking unlikely, Verhoeven has now been targeted for an alternate contest on the Fury-Joshua undercard, with fellow Dutch MMA star Alistair Overeem – who has previously offered a unique three-fight deal to the 37-year-old – calling for a Cardiff clash against his rival on Instagram.
“Rico Verhoeven… stop hiding. Let’s make history!”
A showdown between Overeem and Verhoeven may seem attractive to SELA, who will no doubt seek to entice MMA fans into watching the biggest boxing event of the year.
However, if Verhoeven wishes to climb the world rankings and secure another challenge for the heavyweight crown, he may decline in favour of facing a top 10-rated dance partner on the bill.
