This weekend, Oleksandr Usyk and Dutch kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven will defend their WBC heavyweight world title in a controversial defense. Now, UFC heavyweight champion and Verhoeven’s longtime sparring partner, Tom Aspinall, has shared his thoughts on the fight.

Verhoeven has a record of just 1-0 in professional boxing, with that lone fight coming 12 years ago against an opponent who had lost all five of his previous fights. However, after an illustrious kickboxing career, The Dutchman was allowed to fight for the WBC heavyweight world title.

If the “King of Kickboxing” manages to tie the fight, he will become the most inexperienced male world champion in boxing history, breaking the records of Saensak Muangsurin and Vasyl Lomachenko in three fights.

Speaking on Fight Your Corner PodcastAspinall admitted that this was not the most likely outcome.

“I’ve been sparring with Rico for 10 years, so I know him well, I’m lucky to say he’s my friend too. He’s a great, very good guy.

“I think everyone has a chance, but I think Usyk is on a different level. Just because Rico is my friend doesn’t mean I’m going to sit here on a podcast and lie about it, he’s against it.”

However, the MMA star did not completely rule out the possibility of a seismic shock, believing that Verhoeven’s move could be a problem for the undefeated Ukrainian.

“I think in combat sports anyone can win, I think everyone has a chance. Rico is a large man, he can cause Usyk some problems with movement because [kickboxers] move differently.”

The Usyk-Verhoeven fight will take place on Saturday night at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, and its slate includes three other world title fights.

Although Usyk’s WBC belt hangs in the balance, the IBF and WBA have taken different positions. If he loses, he will be stripped of the belt, but the unranked Verhoeven will not walk away with the belts, which will instead be declared vacant.

Warren pointed to Dubois’ performance in the war with Wardley on May 9 as evidence that he has matured under pressure and is now better prepared for another meeting with the undefeated Ukrainian.

“I would love to see Daniel with him again. He’s grown mentally. Physically he’s there, but mentally he’s grown there and I’d like to see that fight again, I really would,” Warren said to Heavenly sports.

“You know it’s going to be a fight while it lasts.”

Warren believes the punishment and adversity Dubois faced against Wardley could facilitate him more than ever with easier victories.

“It was a tough fight, but I truly believe this fight will benefit him even more.
Warren said.

“He grew mentally during this fight. He put in the work. He focused on it, and his determination worked for him.”

Team Dubois also believes that the difference in previous fights with Usyk was down to experience and composure rather than physical ability. Mohammed Ali, head of boxing performance analysis at Dubois, said Usyk’s serene approach was a decisive factor in their previous meetings.

“Usyk, as you know, has a very scientific approach, and his approach was very serene, very composed, he didn’t talk too much, even though there was a lot going on in the background.

“The experience that Usyk has over Daniel is everything. The experience that he has and that’s exactly what was portrayed that night is the difference in how Usyk handled it.

“However, if it came to a third fight, I can guarantee you the approach would be the same as Fabio or even better,” Warren said.

Usyk has already stopped Dubois twice, so many fans will need some convincing before they treat the trilogy fight as a competition. Still, Warren clearly believes that the Battle of Wardley changed Dubois in a way that could carry over into the third fight.

Will Rico Verhoeven become the most successful kickboxer-turned-boxer this weekend if he defeats Oleksandr Usyk in Egypt?

Known as the “King of Kickboxing,” Verhoeven took perhaps the most arduous path into boxing. In his second professional fight – the first was a memorable stoppage of Janos Finfera in 2014 – he will face unified heavyweight champion and pound-for-pound king Usyk. A victory would mean that the Dutchman would become the WBC heavyweight champion, although the IBF and WBA took different stances on the fight.

Not only would a win be one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight history, despite Verhoeven’s expansive fighting experience, but the 37-year-old would make arguably the most significant transition from one combat sport to another.

However, such a change is not uncommon – here are five huge names that will make it work.

Vitali Klitschko

Long before he became world heavyweight champion with 12 successful title defenses, Klitschko competed in both boxing and kickboxing as an amateur. Although he ultimately settled on and dominated heavyweight boxing, his talents in kickboxing led him to two amateur world titles and four in professional tournaments. The reign he and his brother Wladimir enjoyed in the heavyweight division from 2004 to 2015 left few in doubt whether he could have done the same in kickboxing had he chosen that path.

Troy Dorsey

Troy Dorsey remains one of the most successful examples of a kickboxer’s transition to professional boxing. After winning world kickboxing titles in the 1980s, the Texas fighter focused on boxing and won the IBF world featherweight title in 1991, defeating Alfred Rangel. Although he lost the belt in his first defense to Manuel Medina, Dorsey’s achievements in both sports make him one of the few fighters to achieve a true championship level in both kickboxing and boxing.

Tenshin Nasukawa

Perhaps the most recent high-profile example, outside of Verhoeven, is Nasukawa, who was considered the best pound-for-pound kickboxer before his retirement in 2022. He made his professional boxing debut in 2023 and went seven fights undefeated before losing to Takuma Inoue for the vacant WBC bantamweight belt last November. A victory over Juan Francisco Estrada last month put him back in title contention and now he is in line for a rematch with Inoue, who defended his belt by defeating Kazuto Ioka earlier this month.

Mark Huck

Marco Huck was a successful amateur kickboxer before turning his full attention to boxing, winning regional titles in Germany as a teenager and further gold medals at the European Championships in 2002 and 2003. It was during this time that he developed the aggressive pressing style that would later define his professional career and make him one of the standout cruiserweights of his era. His 13 successful WBO world title defenses between 2009 and 2015 make him the division’s longest-reigning champion, alongside Britain’s Johnny Nelson. Interestingly, the German’s boxing careers finally intersected with Usyk’s in 2017, when the Ukrainian stopped him in the tenth round of a World Boxing Super Series clash on his way to undisputed status.

Dillian Whyte

‘The Bodysnatcher’ was a two-time British and one-time European kickboxing champion before fighting one MMA fight and eventually taking up boxing, with his first amateur victory coming against Anthony Joshua. Whyte lost in his professional rematch to “AJ” but later won the British title before climbing the world rankings by defeating the likes of Joseph Parker and Derek Chisora. Whyte faced Alexander Povetkin twice and drafted Jarrell Miller, who both also previously competed in kickboxing. The Briton’s only challenge to a world title was a sixth-round TKO loss to Tyson Fury, and he was most recently stopped in one round against rising star Moses Itauma.

The harsh reality for Verhoeven is that all of the names mentioned above have gradually built their profile in boxing, rather than jumping straight into one of the sport’s top fighters. His fight with Usyk next weekend in the Pyramids of Giza will be the most important.