After a flurry of recent fight announcements, there is still no clear path for who Oleksandr Usyk will face next.
Plenty of fighters will be looking to get in the ring with the man currently holding The Ring’s top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings.
Tyson Fury is set to face Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11, a bout that could help him build momentum towards a third meeting with Usyk.
Meanwhile, Deontay Wilder has also locked in a fight. Despite long-standing links to Usyk, he will instead take on Derek Chisora on April 4.
Given that two of the most prominent names in the heavyweight division are already scheduled to compete, Turki Alalshikh has proposed a different course of action for the Ukrainian fighter.
Turki Alalshikh proposes Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven
Rico Verhoeven stepped away from his GLORY Kickboxing heavyweight title last year, ending a reign that began back in 2014.
The ‘King of Kickboxing’ has since been linked with several high-profile fights outside the ruleset he dominated for so long.
Verhoeven was even offered a UFC contract, but discussions about potential boxing matches, including a bout with Anthony Joshua, seem to have put those plans on hold.
While Agit Kabayel called out Usyk after his win earlier last month, none of the options available look like clear headline match-ups at the moment for the Ukrainian star.
Verhoeven’s professional boxing record stands at 1-0, and while he might not be a massive name in boxing just yet, a fight with him would still draw attention due to its crossover appeal. Alalshikh seems to back the idea as well.
“I want to see him against Oleksandr Usyk,” the 44-year-old Saudi wrote on X.
Oleksandr Usyk has faced former kickboxers before
Rico Verhoeven would not be the first fighter with a kickboxing background that Oleksandr Usyk has been linked to in the ring.
Back in 2019, Usyk was set to make his heavyweight debut in America against Tyrone Spong, who had built a name for himself in both GLORY and K-1 before making the switch to boxing.
At the time, Spong was unbeaten at 14-0. But he was pulled from the bout after testing positive for a banned substance and replaced by Chazz Witherspoon.
While Spong has not fought in boxing since then, he has stayed active across combat sports, appearing in both MMA and Karate Combat.
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