The former kickboxing champion raised his profile against Oleksandr Usyk, but major heavyweight opportunities may rely on Saudi-backed events continuing
Rico Verhoeven’s performance against Oleksandr Usyk may have earned him credibility in boxing, but his future at heavyweight could depend heavily on Riyadh Season continuing to support crossover events. The former kickboxing champion made it clear after Saturday’s stoppage loss that he now sees boxing, not kickboxing, as the next stage of his combat sports career.
“I don’t care that the people didn’t know, but I knew we had a good shot versus this guy,” said Verhoeven to Ring Magazine. “I showed that I can fight and I can box, so I am ready for anybody. Maybe I didn’t hurt him, but I definitely surprised him with the angles I took to him.”
Traditional promoters would likely have an interest in matching their heavyweights against Rico because he is now a recognizable crossover name who brings intrigue and attention. The problem is the financial side.
A fighter with a 1-1 boxing record coming off a stoppage loss normally would not command a massive guaranteed purse. If promoters paid Rico enormous money and the event failed to generate enough pay-per-view buys or ticket sales to cover both purses, they could lose heavily on the event.
That is why Riyadh Season changes the equation. Saudi-backed events have shown a willingness to finance spectacle fights and absorb risks that traditional promoters usually avoid. Rico’s crossover value, controversy from the Usyk fight, and kickboxing fan base still make him useful in that environment even without an established boxing record.
Turki Alalshikh has already shown interest in a rematch between Usyk and Verhoeven after Usyk potentially faces WBC interim heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel next.
If the rematch is genuinely part of the plan, Rico is unlikely to face dangerous contenders in the meantime. Matching him against heavyweights like Moses Itauma or Frank Sanchez would create unnecessary risk before a possible second fight with Usyk.
A loss to a legitimate contender could wipe out the intrigue surrounding Rico’s performance against Usyk and weaken the rematch storyline considerably.
“I just want the biggest fights,” said Verhoeven. “The kickboxing chapter has closed. It’s a new chapter now. The boxing chapter.”
“Biggest fights” is just promotional shorthand for the biggest checks. At 37 years old and coming off an 11th-round stoppage defeat, he doesn’t have the luxury of time to build a conventional boxing career from the ground up.
Those “biggest fights” probably only become realistic if Saudi money remains attached to them.
Outside of His Excellency, there is zero market for him at the elite level. Traditional promoters aren’t going to shell out millions for a crossover kickboxer who just got stopped, no matter how competitive he looked on the scorecards before Usyk put him away.
If Riyadh Season loses interest in funding these specific types of spectacles, his options dry up instantly. He either takes a massive pay cut to face mid-tier heavyweights on standard cards, or he realizes the boxing experiment was a short-lived, lucrative venture and calls it a day.
Unless Turki wants to throw him a bone for a rematch or a fight with someone like Agit Kabayel, where else do you think he could possibly turn for that kind of money?