The martial arts world has been turned upside down. Rico Verhoeven steps into the boxing ring a few months after quitting kickboxing. At the end of May he will face the Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk and immediately fight for the world title. But opinions differ as to whether Verhoeven can prove that he is the king in the ring here too. “I think it will be very tough for him,” says former professional boxer Eddy Smulders.
Eindhoven resident Eddy Smulders, like Rico Verhoeven, once switched from kickboxing to boxing. “Boxing is a completely different category and that transition is very difficult,” says Smulders.
“With boxing you stand at a much closer distance from your opponent than with kickboxing. A boxer also stands much more forward to strike faster. In boxing you therefore have to react much faster to block the attack, dive or step away.”
Professional boxing also takes much longer than kickboxing. While kickboxing often only involves three to five rounds, boxing can last up to twelve rounds.
“Twelve rounds of three minutes is very tough, especially when you are under pressure,” says Smulders. “Usyk is really good. He understands the game well, keeps the right distance and can strike at the right time, so I think it will be a very tough match.”
But we should not underestimate our Brabant kickboxing champion either, he thinks. “There’s a lot of money involved, so anything can happen. And Rico is a heavyweight. If you hit someone with that, you’re going to knockout. Rico is also a fantastic athlete, so he could surprise us.”
Rico Verhoeven and Oleksandr Usyk will fight the titanic battle on May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
