Boxing

Who is Rico Verhoeven? Meet the man who could fight Anthony Joshua next

Published

10 months ago

December 28, 2025

Who is Rico Verhoeven? Get to know the man who may fight Anthony Joshua next

Anthony Joshua is expected to return to action in February or March following Jake Paul’s knockout, and the two-time world champion has been linked with a surprise name in Rico Verhoeven – a left wing unknown to many boxing fans.

Joshua’s next outing is reported to be the start of a long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury, so it stands to reason that ‘AJ’ and Eddie Hearn may choose a low-risk dance partner so as not to jeopardize their lucrative ‘The Gypsy King’ gig.

After fighting the YouTuber-turned-boxer earlier this month, Hearn was asked about the unexpected prospect of Joshua fighting Dutch kickboxer Verhoeven instead of an established heavyweight contender – a plan he didn’t reject.

“In a perfect world, yes [February] it would be time. We’ll see when it’s ready. Rico – or whoever it is – we haven’t finalized it yet.

Hearn has since stated that March seems more likely, and also indicated that “AJ” would be keen to fight Fury straight away in the summer if it can be negotiated.

If Verhoeven’s tour goes this route, it will mean that none of Joshua’s last three wins have come against an established boxer heading into the Fury fight.

However, while Verhoeven is not familiar with the world of boxing, Fury is familiar with him as he has been a sparring partner and good friend of the two-time heavyweight champion since 2015 and a mainstay in the camps of Fury’s cousin, Hughie Fury.

Verhoeven is considered one of the greatest kickboxers of all time, boasting a record of 66-10 and holding the GLORY (a major kickboxing promotion company) heavyweight title for an astonishing 4,220 days.

The “King of Kickboxing” vacated the belt last month, ending his legendary reign after 13 successful title defenses and, interestingly, stating “it’s not goodbye, it’s time to meet again,” possibly implying a return to the franchise after leaving AJ.

Alternatively, Verhoeven has been linked with a move to the UFC as he looks to become a global superstar in either the squared circle or the Octagon, and a deal with Joshua will likely determine which of those options the 36-year-old chooses.

Boxing

Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley II: Start Time and Live Results

Published

2 hours ago

October 17, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley II: Start Time and Live Results"

Daniel Dubois defends his WBO heavyweight title against Fabio Wardley on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at The O2 Arena in London, with coverage starting at 7 p.m. BST / 2 p.m. ET and ring walks expected around 10:30 p.m. BST / 5:30 p.m. ET. The rematch airs on DAZN PPV for £24.99 in the UK and $59.99 in the US.

Updated Oct 17, 2026, 2:57 pm EDT

FIGHT DAY! Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley

Daniel Dubois

Fabio Wardley

Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Card starts: 12:30pm EDT / 5:30pm BST
Expected ring walks: 6:00 pm EDT / 11:00 pm BST
Scheduled distance: 12 rounds

Super featherweight Nelson Birchall (13-0, 10 KOs) handed Levi Giles (17-4-1) his first stoppage defeat with a seventh-round TKO. The unbeaten prospect’s quick, accurate punching wore down Giles over the scheduled ten-round contest. Giles maintained his effort, but Birchall landed the cleaner shots and increasingly took control. A fifth-round knockdown began a punishing stretch for Giles.

Birchall sent him to the canvas again in the sixth. Giles went down for a third time in the seventh, bringing the fight to an end. Birchall finished with three knockdowns in as many rounds to secure his tenth stoppage victory.

Tony Curtis (15-1, 4 KOs) captured the vacant Commonwealth International super flyweight title with a fourth-round TKO over Kerim Agius (4-2, 2 KOs).

Agius went down in the second and fourth rounds. Referee Sean McAvoy waved off the scheduled eight-round contest at 2:57 of round four.

Leighton Birchall (6-0, 3 KOs) earned a shutout points win over Alejandro Morales Chazaro (9-10-2, 5 KOs) in a featherweight bout. The six-round contest was scored 60-54 in Birchall’s favor.

Super bantamweight Manny Safari (1-0, 1 KO) stopped Jake Pollard (1-122, 1 KO) in the fifth round, marking his first professional appearance with a TKO victory.

Lightweight Fawas Aborode (3-0, 3 KOs) stopped Rashid Omar (8-10, 1 KO) in the fourth round. Aborode dictated the action and finished the contest inside the distance, maintaining his perfect knockout record.

Aaron Noriega (3-0) scored a fourth-round TKO over Leonardo Baez in their super featherweight bout. Noriega celebrated the victory in the ring wearing a Mexican-flag cap.

Middleweight Issiah Hamilton-Allen (4-0) earned a shutout points victory over Jensen Irving (6-41-2, 1 KO). The four-round bout ended with a 40-36 score in Hamilton-Allen’s favor.

Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley
WBO heavyweight title
Expected ring walks: 10:30 p.m. BST / 5:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. PT

Louie O’Doherty vs Michael Gomez Jr.
British and Commonwealth lightweight titles
Approximate start: 9:30 p.m. BST / 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT

Adam Olaniyan vs Garber
Approximate start: 9:10 p.m. BST / 4:10 p.m. ET / 1:10 p.m. PT

Bakhodir Jalolov vs Solomon Dacres
Heavyweight
Approximate start: 8:10 p.m. BST / 3:10 p.m. ET / 12:10 p.m. PT

Weights:

Dubois 253.9 vs Wardley 248.3
O’Doherty 134.12 vs Gomez Jr 134.3
Olaniyan 250.15 vs Garber 223.15
Jalolov 255.12 vs Dacres 242.9

Watch Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley 2 on DAZN

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Boxing

Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj: Live Round-by-Round Updates and Results

Published

2 hours ago

October 17, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj: Live Round-by-Round Updates and Results

Sebastian Fundora will return to action tonight, defending his WBC super welterweight title against Ermal Hadribaj in a main event that will air live on TNT as well as stream on DAZN.

Fundora has staked his claim as the top dog at 154 lbs right now, though there are other, potentially tougher challenges than Hadribeaj, but the challenger has his chance tonight, and he’ll look to make it count.

UPDATE (2:35 pm ET): The fight between Brandon Figueroa and Tomoki Kameda has been officially canceled. Figueroa lost his WBA featherweight title on the scales yesterday, then fell ill overnight.

Wil Esco will lead the live coverage this evening, with live results and updates for the two main card undercard bouts, then round-by-round results and updates for the main event. Join us!

How to Watch Fundora vs Hadribeaj

Streaming: DAZN (subscription)

Location: The Cosmopolitan – Las Vegas, NV, USA

Fundora vs Hadribeaj full card lineup

Boxing

Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj: Start Time and Live Results

Published

4 hours ago

October 17, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj: Start Time and Live Results"

Sebastian Fundora defends his WBC super welterweight title against Ermal Hadribeaj on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, with the card starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT / 1 a.m. BST Sunday. TNT and DAZN broadcast the fight live.

Updated Oct 14, 2026, 4:34 am EDT

FIGHT DAY! Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj

Sebastian Fundora

Ermal Hadribaj