Rico Verhoeven does not want anyone calling him a heavy underdog with nothing to lose. In an interview with Ring Magazine ahead of his WBC heavyweight title challenge against Oleksandr Usyk on May 23, the kickboxing champion made his intentions clear.
“There’s definitely something to lose. I’m not even thinking about losing. I’m going to win. And when I win, I’ll write history.”
“Just a Man With Two Arms and Two Legs”
Usyk carries one of boxing’s most intimidating reputations: unbeaten, undisputed at cruiserweight, and unified at heavyweight. Verhoeven is not interested in being intimidated.
“He’s like the unbeatable guy. What an opportunity I have to show that he’s not that unbeatable. For me, it’s just a man with two arms and two legs. I’m going to go out there and showcase who Rico Verhoeven is, the former undisputed kickboxing champion.”
He addressed the near-universal skepticism from the boxing world the same way: by ignoring it entirely.
“I don’t go off on anybody else’s opinion. I don’t think about it. Everybody has their right to their opinion. It’s just up to me to prove you wrong. That’s it.”
Pressure Is Not New
Some fighters in Verhoeven’s position would lean into the underdog framing. He rejected it outright.
“I’m not putting myself like, ‘I’m the big underdog, so there is nothing to lose.’ No.”
Verhoeven spent the better part of a decade as the man with the target on his back in kickboxing. He sees direct parallels with Usyk’s position at the top of heavyweight boxing.
“I put the pressure on me. He has the target on his back, he’s been having the target on his back for so many years. I had the same. I’ve been so used to the big lights, the sold-out arenas, all the media attention, the pictures, the interviews. I’m used to that pressure. I’m used to that because I’ve been doing it for the last decade.”
On fight night, he expects the size difference to play a decisive role. Verhoeven will enter the ring at roughly 125 kg, some 20 kilograms heavier than the champion.
“As soon as I clip him, he’s going to feel that, because it’s going to be at least a 20-kilo difference.”
Usyk vs. Verhoeven takes place May 23, 2026 at the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, streaming live on DAZN.
