Rico Verhoeven Earns Top-10 Heavyweight Ranking After Oleksandr Usyk Fight

Rico Verhoeven impressed the world in just his second professional boxing match when he gave unified world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk a scare in Egypt.

In what was a voluntary defense for the Ukrainian, Usyk took on 'The King of Kickboxing' Verhoeven at The Pyramids in Egypt, winning via 11th-round TKO.

Despite the victory, early success for Verhoeven had many people scoring the bout in his favor prior to the stoppage, which came with its own controversy.

Although Verhoeven was not able to snatch Uysk's WBC crown that was on the line, he has opened up a world of new possibilities for himself, aided by his new heavyweight ranking.

Rico Verhoeven placed at number 8 in WBC heavyweight rankings

Usyk vs Verhoeven | IMAGO / Middle East Images

Now with a professional boxing record of 1-1, Verhoeven is considered by the WBC to be the eighth-best heavyweight on the planet. His valiant effort has led to increased interest in terms of seeing the Dutchman box again, and his new ranking could indicate this is where his future lies.

Previous reports indicated that the kickboxing star was once in talks with the UFC over a transition to MMA. However, his next steps are currently unclear. Should Verhoeven take on a contender placed above him in the rankings, he would be facing one of a series of household names in the boxing world.

Ranked above Verhoeven are: Tyson Fury (1), Lawrence Okolie (2), Moses Itauma (3), Filip Hrgovic (4), Anthony Joshua (5), Frank Sanchez (6), and Deontay Wilder (7).

Making up the rest of the top 10 are Efe Ajagba at nine and Richard Riakporhe at 10.

Perhaps the most accurate comparison that boxing fans can draw for Vehoeven's performance against Usyk is Francis Ngannou's 2023 challenge against Tyson Fury. Ngannou was also considered to be a novice boxer as he was making the transition to the ring after relinquishing his UFC heavyweight title.

In a shocking moment, the Cameroonian MMA star knocked down then-champion Fury, but was ultimately edged out via split decision. Following the performance, Ngannou was handed the number 10 ranking by the WBC.

Following a brutal knockout loss to Anthony Joshua months later, his ranking fell to 24 before eventually being removed from the rankings by the WBC.

A matchup between Verhoeven and Ngannou has been speculated among combat sports fans; however, it is more likely that the bout would take place in an MMA cage.

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