Rico Verhoeven has spent years standing across from some of the most dangerous heavyweights on the planet, but even the GLORY champion admits there was something different about Peter Fury the first time they met.
According to Verhoeven, it didn’t take long to realise exactly what kind of environment he had walked into.
“I think the first impression was, ‘Oh my god, this guy’s intense,’” he said, in an interview with DAZN Boxing.
The Dutch superstar was reflecting on the early days of his relationship with Fury during a conversation looking back on their first sparring sessions together — sessions that quickly turned into brutal learning experiences.
Back then, Verhoeven was still adapting to the demands of boxing training and admitted he wasn’t exactly prepared for what Fury and his fighters were bringing to the gym.
“I think the first time we met was the first sparring, and I think because I never sparred in kickboxing, almost I never sparred with headgear, especially back then,” he said. “Then I said no, I think it’s smart to wear a head guard because after three rounds, both my eyes closed.”
What followed only made the experience even worse.
Peter Fury then joked: “Now you know how a horse feels with a set of blinkers on.”
The pair were discussing sessions that date back over 15 years, with Verhoeven estimating their first meetings came around 2010 as both camps explored new training methods and styles.
Verhoeven said: “It can be even 2010, I think. So, it’s been about 15 plus years ago, isn’t it?”
Those sessions left a lasting impression on both men — not just because of the intensity, but because of how different the atmosphere felt compared to traditional boxing gyms.
Peter Fury explained that the sparring culture immediately stood out to him.
According to Fury, too many gyms avoided hard sparring because fighters were constantly being protected from one another.
But when Fury’s team arrived at Verhoeven’s gym, he saw something completely different.
“So when we come to your gym, I thought this was perfect,” he said. “They’re lining up to spar, and they’re super tough.”
The competitive environment immediately appealed to Fury.
He said: “I said, ‘This is perfect.’ I said, ‘We can get sparring three times a week.’ I said, ‘These guys love some punishment as well.’ I said, ‘They keep coming back.’”
For Fury, it became the ideal setting to sharpen fighters because nobody wanted to back down.
Verhoeven is set to face Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC heavyweight title under the lights of the Pyramids of Giza — a crossover fight that has already divided opinion across both boxing and kickboxing.
But if there’s one thing Verhoeven has made clear, it’s that he isn’t entering the fight just to survive.
He believes he can shock the world.
Speaking to TalkSPORT’s Jim White and Simon Jordan, Verhoeven explained why he thinks the opportunity exists in the first place.
“The WBC see the value I have as an opponent for Oleksandr Usyk, because they know my credentials as a kickboxer,” he revealed.
Despite stepping into an entirely different discipline against one of the greatest boxers of his generation, Verhoeven’s confidence has not changed.
In fact, when asked what would happen if Usyk stepped into kickboxing instead, Verhoeven gave an immediate response.
“I would destroy him.”
That mindset has defined his entire career.
Featured image credit: DAZN Boxing / YouTube (Screenshot)
