Rico Verhoeven Enlists Former Tyson Fury Trainer for Oleksandr Usyk Fight

Rico Verhoeven is looking to follow in Tyson Fury's footsteps before he gets into the ring with Oleksandr Usyk.

Ahead of his WBC heavyweight title fight with Usyk, which will be his second professional boxing bout, Verhoeven has enlisted the help of one of Fury's former trainers. The 36-year-old kickboxing legend will train under Fury's uncle and former trainer, Peter Fury, in his upcoming camp, Ring Magazine reported.

Peter Fury, uncle and former trainer of Tyson Fury, will be training Rico Verhoeven for his fight against Oleksandr Usyk on May 23rd at the Pyramids of Giza 🤯

Glory in Giza | May 23rd | Live on DAZN 🥊 pic.twitter.com/DrUFLEG10l
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) March 1, 2026

Peter Fury was Tyson Fury's head trainer when the latter beat Wladimir Klitschko to win the WBC, WBO, IBF and The Ring heavyweight titles in 2015. 'The Gypsy King' would part with his uncle shortly thereafter to train with his father, John Fury, and SugarHill Steward.

Fury currently serves as the head trainer for his son, Hughie, and former undisputed women's super middleweight champion Savannah Marshall.

While Verhoeven has never exclusively worked with Peter Fury, the two have been acquainted for years. Verhoeven has been invited to multiple Fury fight camps over the years and has sparred with Tyson and Hughie Fury, according to ESPN.

While Tyson Fury is very familiar with Usyk, having spent two fight camps preparing for the Ukrainian, Peter Fury has not spent as much time preparing for the champion. The Fury family drama has been brewing for years, pushing Peter away from John and Tyson since their split.

Tyson Fury, who is currently preparing for his return fight against Arslanbek Makhmudov in April, is not expected to be a significant part of Verhoeven's upcoming fight camp.

Rico Verhoeven preparing for massive Oleksandr Usyk title fight

Although Verhoeven's professional boxing experience is slim, he enters his first world title fight as arguably the greatest heavyweight kickboxer of all time. Verhoeven was the longest-reigning champion in GLORY Kickboxing history, racking up 13 title defenses in 11 years.

The 'King of Kickboxing' had been teasing a boxing move for years, but the idea truly began to take form in late 2025. Following the end of his GLORY contract, Verhoeven reportedly received an offer from the UFC but rejected it due to his interest in boxing.

Verhoeven will now be the third different opponent of Usyk's legendary title reign, and his sixth title defense overall. Usyk has twice beaten Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois since becoming a two-division champion in 2021.

With Tyson Fury still openly pushing for a trilogy bout with Usyk, the drama could increase even further in the coming weeks.