Rico Verhoeven has wasted absolutely no time reigniting debate around his future in boxing following his hugely controversial defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
The Dutch kickboxing superstar may still be asking for an apology for the controversial stoppage, but that has not stopped him from making a massive statement about where he believes he belongs among boxing’s elite heavyweights.
And according to Verhoeven himself, there are very few men in the division he believes could beat him.
Speaking in an interview with TalkSport following the Usyk fight fallout, Verhoeven was asked directly whether he thought he could defeat any heavyweight boxer currently active.
His response was immediate: “100%.”
The confidence did not stop there either.
When Tyson Fury’s name was mentioned, Verhoeven doubled down once again: “100%. That’s why I’m here.”
Asked whether he believed he would beat Anthony Joshua in a boxing ring, the Dutchman barely hesitated: “Of course.”
It is the latest sign that Verhoeven’s confidence has only grown despite suffering a stoppage loss to Usyk in one of the most talked-about crossover fights in recent years.
The contest itself has become a huge talking point across combat sports after the ending sparked widespread controversy online.
Verhoeven was stopped in the 11th round after Usyk landed a huge uppercut that dropped him to the canvas. However, outrage erupted almost instantly because the stoppage appeared to come after the bell sounded.
Officially, the bout was waved off at 2:59 of Round 11.
Within hours of the fight ending, Verhoeven confirmed an official protest had already been filed.
“Official protest has been filed on our way to the Airport. Rules only matter if they are applied when it matters most,” he said.
The appeal process is now expected to involve officials reviewing the finish frame-by-frame before determining whether the result should stand.
Verhoeven has already made it clear he believes the referee acted too quickly.
“I thought it was an early stoppage,” he said. “It’s not up to me. I believe the referee knows that we’re almost at the end of the round, or let me go out on my shield or let the bell go…it was close and I thought we were equal on the scorecards.”
He later added: “They stopped it after the bell. It makes no sense.”
What has made the reaction even louder is how competitive the fight actually was.
Many expected Usyk to dominate the kickboxing legend comfortably, but instead, Verhoeven repeatedly caused problems for the WBC heavyweight champion throughout the contest.
The 37-year-old started aggressively, landed first in the opening round, and consistently forced Usyk backwards with awkward movement and pressure.
As the fight entered the later rounds, Verhoeven began finding increasing success along the ropes and looked genuinely capable of pulling off one of the biggest crossover upsets combat sports has ever seen.
Heading into the final six minutes, he was reportedly ahead on one judge’s scorecard while the other two had the fight level.
Even Usyk admitted afterwards that the contest was far from straightforward.
Now, with debate over the stoppage continuing to dominate discussion online, Verhoeven’s latest comments about Fury and Joshua will only add more fuel to the fire surrounding his boxing future.
The Dutch heavyweight clearly believes his performance against Usyk proved he belongs among the top names in the sport.
Featured image credit: TalkSport / YouTube
