The kickboxing champion says months inside Usyk’s camp revealed the technical and mental demands of 12-round boxing
Rico Verhoeven says spending months inside Oleksandr Usyk’s training camp gave him a completely different respect for boxing and its mental demands over 12 rounds. The longtime kickboxing champion admitted the transition exposed technical and conditioning challenges he never fully understood before preparing for the crossover fight in Egypt.
“The difficulty and the toughness within boxing is especially the art of how long it is and how you can flow with it way more than with us,” said Rico Verhoeven to DAZN Boxing.
“With us, it’s just like pedal to the metal, and that’s gone in like three minutes or three rounds or five rounds at most. And now you have to go with that flow of 12 rounds, and sometimes you feel good, sometimes you feel bad, and it’s like, okay, how do you deal with all these emotions throughout those 12 rounds?
“That also I think the easiest way to sum it up is kickboxing is tough and brutal.”
Verhoeven also admitted boxing forced him to look at fighting differently from a technical standpoint after spending extended time around Usyk and his team.
“Boxing is skill. It’s more of an art form. So, it’s totally different. Boxing and kickboxing is a different sport,” said Verhoeven.
Rico also recalled one of his first sparring experiences around Usyk’s team years ago, joking that he quickly learned why boxers rely on headgear during heavy sessions.
“I think it’s smart to wear a head guard. After three rounds, both my eyes closed,” said Verhoeven.
The comments came during a discussion ahead of the “Glory in Giza” event, where Usyk and Verhoeven are scheduled to meet at the Pyramids of Giza on May 23.
