Rico Verhoeven debuted one place behind Deontay Wilder in the latest WBC heavyweight rankings following his controversial defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in Egypt.

The Dutch kickboxing superstar was ranked eighth by the World Boxing Council, one place below former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder and one place above Efe Ajagba.

Wilder is in seventh place after defeating Derek Chisora ​​in April, leaving Verhoeven directly behind one of the most recognizable names in the division.

For a fighter whose only professional boxing fight was against Usyk, this is a sure landing spot.

Rico Verhoeven’s WBC rankings

The WBC has already indicated that Verhoeven will be classified after his performance against Usyk at the Giza Pyramids.

Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed that Verhoeven would be placed at heavyweight and later praised referee Mark Lyson.

The rankings now come as the WBA also placed Verhoeven fifteenth in its latest heavyweight rankings.

Verhoeven ranks behind Tyson Fury, Lawrence Okolie, Moses Itauma, Filip Hrgovic, Anthony Joshua, Frank Sanchez and Wilder on the latest WBC list.

Behind him are Ajagba, Richard Riakporhe, Martin Bakole, Andrii Novitskyi, Bakhodir Jalolov, Guido Vianello and Labinot Xhoxhaj.

Usyk vs. Verhoeven fight

Despite ultimately losing to Usyk on May 23, Verhoeven produced an effective, if unconventional, performance that put him ahead after ten rounds on the WBN scorecard.

If the Dutchman had survived the final round, he would have dethroned Usyk and few people would have questioned his eighth place in the ranking.

Instead, Verhoeven was stopped in the eleventh round with one second left, sparking immediate controversy over the timing of the intervention.

The WBC upheld the result and the referee. It also rewarded Verhoeven’s performance with a top-10 heavyweight finish.

Not everyone will be convinced.

However, in boxing it has happened before that fighters improved their position after a defeat. Francis Ngannou emerged from his split decision loss to Tyson Fury with more credibility than when he entered the ring.

Top ten heavyweights

Verhoeven’s ranking also continues a broader pattern, prompting further debate about how quickly the rankings can change for any given player when huge opportunities arise.

In Verhoeven’s case, the argument is easier to understand.

He pushed Usyk much closer than expected, led by ten on the WBN card and was one round away from one of the strangest heavyweight title defeats of the state-of-the-art era.

Still, try telling that to the other 32 fighters now below him on the WBC’s monthly heavyweight list.

Top 15 WBC heavyweight organizations

1. Tyson Fury
2. Lawrence area
3. Moses This is going to hurt
4. Filip Hrgovic
5. Anthony Joshua
6. Frank Sanchez
7. Deontay Wilder
8. Rico Verhoeven
9. Honor Ajagba
10. Richard Riakporhe
11. Marcin Bakole
12. Andriy Nowicki
13. Bakhodir Yalolov
14. Guido Vianello
15. Labinot Xhoxhaja

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

Deontay Wilder, who has won two in a row for the first time since 2019, is ready for another gigantic fight.

Wilder scored a scarce points victory over Derek Chisora ​​in Manchester last month, keeping alive a career that many thought was over after successive defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang.

With his confidence boosted, the 40-year-old ‘Bronze Bomber’ said he would do everything to become a two-time world champion before hanging up his gloves for good.

A shot against unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, while discussed, is unlikely due to the Ukrainian’s list of mandatory challengers. Instead, Wilder is in the best position to secure a powerful ranking and win the vacant belt if the opportunity arises in the next 18 months.

The only man willing to risk his No. 2 spot in the WBA rankings is fellow American Jarrell Miller. The controversial heavyweight fighter known as “Large Baby” talked about it. Play UK after years of trying, he’s still chasing the fight.

“Anyone who wants to go in there and throw their hands around has something in the tank. They’re still unsafe anyway.” But I’ve been asking him to fight for years, so if he gets vintage overnight, that’s his problem. I’m still going to punch him in the face.

Miller further added that he wasn’t terribly impressed with Wilder’s recent performance in the UK, but says a win would keep a potential rivalry between the two alive.

“I don’t think Chisora ​​was the same Chisora ​​who fought Joe Joyce and Otto Wallin. Sometimes fighters get older overnight. Maybe he wasn’t as motivated for this fight as usual. I don’t know.”

“I expected a little more from Chisora ​​in this fight, but that’s how it is. Wilder won, so now it’s better for me. I’ll try to fight a gigantic American fight and we will win.”

Miller, 37, failed to impress in his January fight against Kingsley Ibeh. He won, but his hair falling off during the fight made headlines, not the performance. The Brooklyn native returned in April against undefeated Lenier Pero and looked the better, winning a 12-round unanimous decision.

Notable for failing a doping test prior to his canceled fight with Joshua, “Large Baby” represents a gigantic name in the division. Given Wilder’s knockout streak and both fighters’ ability to sell the fight, a fight in America would be really gigantic.

Anthony Joshua described Jake Paul’s December knockout as getting the job done and told Ring magazine that he had been instructed to push the YouTuber out of the sport.

“I was given a exacting message and tasked with getting rid of Jake Paul and removing him from our beloved sport of boxing,” Joshua said. “Whether it took me one round or six, I felt the job was well done.”

Joshua stopped Paul in the sixth round at the Kaseya Center in Miami on December 19 in a non-title heavyweight fight streaming on Netflix. Referee Christopher Adolescent counted Paul out at 1:31 of the round after his fourth knockdown. Joshua dropped Paul twice in the fifth distance before ending the fight.

Asked about criticism that he needed six rounds to stop a much less experienced opponent, Joshua said he could have ended the fight earlier but chose not to. “I always say that whether they move or run, I’m good enough that I should be able to knock him out in the round,” he said, before explaining that an early stoppage would not satisfy the crowd.

As a result, Paul (12-2, 7 KO) suffered the first knockout defeat in his career. Paul later said he suffered a broken jaw and posted an X-ray showing the injury. He has said in recent interviews that the damage requires dental treatment and that he has not received medical clearance to return, adding that he is unsure whether he will compete again.

Joshua (29-4, 26 KO) recorded his first victory since stopping Francis Ngannou in February 2024. The victory came after a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024 and a break of more than a year. He said the victory raised his profile and told Ring magazine that interest in him had “increased.”

Joshua is expected to return to the ring in 2026, and among the fights discussed will be a meeting with fellow former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Fury will retire in 2025.

Joshua also appreciated his opponent’s opportunity. “It’s a credit to Jake Paul and his team. Great opportunity. I’m grateful. I understand the business, I understand the game. He gave me a chance to work and I definitely took it,” he said.