Rico Verhoeven Certain He Would Beat Top Heavyweights, but Unsure About One Man

After his thunderous performance against Oleksandr Usyk, Rico Verhoeven has shot to superstardom in boxing and is certain he is capable of beating the very best of the division, except for one man.

Verhoeven capitalized on his unorthodox and unknown style to surprise the unified and former two-time undisputed heavyweight champion. Many believed he had a comfortable lead heading into to the 11th and what would be final round before falling victim to a vicious uppercut that felled him, followed by a ruthless onslaught that forced the referee to step in at the end of the round.

There has since been a heated debate over the legitimacy of the stoppage and what would have happened if Verhoeven had earned the opportunity to recover and return for the final round. Regardless, the Dutchman would have needed a knockout on the scorecards to overcome the deficit that the 11th-round knockdown had created.

Usyk vs Verhoeven | IMAGO / Middle East Images

Verhoeven on the current heavyweight division

Despite the controversy and debate, it looks as though Verhoeven has not been deterred from returning to the squared circle and, in an interview with talkSPORT, said that he would back himself against any of the top heavyweights in the division.

However, he hesitated and gave a politician's answer when asked about Moses Itauma.

“[If he could beat Tyson Fury] 100%, that’s why I’m here. [If he could be Anthony Joshua] Of course, I was so close to beating Usyk and they all got beaten twice by that guy.”

“[On Itauma] I haven’t seen him on the highest level; I have seen him to a decent level fighting decent opponents. But I haven’t seen him on the highest level, so I am really curious to see what he does, if he’s going to fight me, or he’s going to fight another guy, let’s see how he performs when he gets a serious opponent.”

Is Moses Itauma the prince of the heavyweight division?

Itauma has been labeled the heavyweight king-in-waiting. The 21-year-old knockout artist has flown through the ranks, dispatching every opponent at every step with ease. Eleven of his 14 wins have come by way of knockout inside two rounds, including former interim title holder and world title challenger Dillian Whyte.

It seems unlikely that Verhoeven and Itauma will meet in the ring as the Brit is laser-focused on earning himself a world title shot as soon as possible, but Verhoeven's hesitation after just claiming with absolute certainty that he would beat two of the best heavyweights of the previous generation is interesting.

Moses Itauma after his knockout of Mariusz Wach | IMAGO / PA Images

Itauma's world title shot is surely on the near horizon as he sits as the number one-ranked contender with the WBO and WBA. He also sits in the top five with both the WBC and IBF, and is the sixth-best heavyweight in the world according to The Ring.

The rumor mill is circulating that Itauma is lining up the number five-ranked heavyweight with The Ring, Filip Hrgovic, for his scheduled fight on August 1. Hrgovic is still fresh from a comfortable win over British cult heavyweight hero Dave Allen earlier this month and should be physically fit and able to share the ring with Itauma in August.

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