The sanctioning body followed through on Mauricio Sulaiman’s pledge after Verhoeven pushed Usyk before an 11th-round stoppage in Egypt
The WBC has officially placed Rico Verhoeven at No. 8 in its heavyweight rankings despite his 11th-round stoppage loss to Oleksandr Usyk on May 23. The decision puts Verhoeven ahead of several established contenders after only his second professional boxing fight.
Following the fight, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said Verhoeven would receive a high ranking due to his showing against Usyk. The latest rankings released by the sanctioning body have now confirmed that decision.
Verhoeven is ranked behind Tyson Fury, Lawrence Okolie, Moses Itauma, Filip Hrgovic, Anthony Joshua, Frank Sanchez, and Deontay Wilder. He is positioned ahead of Efe Ajagba, Richard Riakporhe, Martin Bakole, Bakhodir Jalolov, Otto Wallin, Richard Torrez Jr., and Michael Hunter.
The ranking comes despite Verhoeven having only two professional boxing matches on his record. His only victory came in 2014 before returning to the sport this year for the bout with Usyk in Egypt.
The WBC’s decision is likely to generate debate, given the number of established heavyweight contenders ranked below him. At the same time, it confirms that the sanctioning body viewed Verhoeven’s performance against Usyk as worthy of immediate top-10 status.
Usyk’s next move remains unchanged. The WBC has ordered negotiations for a mandatory defense against interim champion Agit Kabayel, with the two sides given 30 days to reach an agreement.