Rico Verhoeven has sought out the help of Tyson Fury’s family to help him prepare for his historic clash.
After breaking record after record in Glory Kickboxing, following another standout win last June, Rico Verhoeven began getting linked to a move to boxing.
Towards the end of last year, it was reported that the kickboxing king had rejected an offer from the UFC to enter their heavyweight division and take on Derrick Lewis.
And a few days ago, it was officially announced that the greatest heavyweight kickboxer ever will take on Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC heavyweight world title in front of the Pyramids of Giza.
You can only watch one for the rest of your life — Boxing or MMA? 🥊 🥋
Make your pick and explain it in the comments. ⬇️
Verhoeven brings in Tyson Fury’s uncle to train him for Usyk fight
Throughout his storied career, Usyk has been involved in several rivalries, but none more notable than his rivalry with Tyson Fury.
The Ukrainian holds two wins over ‘The Gypsy King’ and his win over the Brit in 2024 was enough to send the former heavyweight champion into another retirement.
And ahead of his historic clash against the former undisputed heavyweight champion, Verhoeven has drafted in the help of Tyson’s uncle, Peter Fury.
Peter, the uncle and former trainer of Tyson, will be training Verhoeven for his fight against Usyk on May 23.
In a video on his Instagram, Peter Fury announced that he is making his way to the Netherlands to begin a three-month training camp with the legendary kickboxer.
Despite that, his link to Verhoeven stretches further back than just a recent meeting, as the Dutchman has been a regular at training camps overseen by Fury, having sparred with both Tyson and Hughie Fury.
Verhoeven reveals his current weight
Usyk was once dominating over the cruiserweight division and isn’t widely regarded as one of the bigger heavyweight fighters.
The heaviest he has weighed-in for all of his heavyweight bouts is 227lbs, which was for his second fight against Fury.
Verhoeven on the other hand since moving up to heavyweight from light heavyweight, has filled out quite considerably.
And just one day before beginning his training camp, the 36-year-old revealed that he currently weighs 278lbs, admitting he has a lot of work to do.
Receive a digest of our best Bloody Elbow content each week direct to your mailbox
Subscribe to my channel
