Rico Verhoeven says spending months in Oleksandr Usyk’s boxing camp gave him a whole different respect for how difficult boxing really is.
The longtime kickboxing champion has been preparing for his May 23 crossover fight against Usyk in Egypt, but Verhoeven admitted that the transition to full-time boxing training has exposed parts of the sport he has never fully understood.
“The difficulty and the toughness in boxing is especially the art of how long it is and how you can flow with it much more than with us,” Rico Verhoeven told DAZN Boxing.
“With us, it’s just like pedal to the metal, and it’s over in like three minutes or three laps or five laps at most. And now you have to go with that flow of 12 laps, and sometimes you feel good, sometimes you feel bad, and it’s like, okay, how do you deal with all these emotions through those 12 laps?
“I also think that the easiest way to sum it up is kickboxing is tough and brutal.”
Verhoeven also admitted that boxing forced him to look at fights differently from a technical point of view after spending a long time around Usyk and his team.
“Boxing is skill. It’s more of an art form. So, it’s completely different. Boxing and kickboxing are different sports,” Verhoeven said.
Rico also recalled one of his first sparring experiences around Usyk’s team years ago and joked that he quickly learned why boxers rely on headgear during heavy sessions.
“I think it’s smart to wear a head shield. After three laps, both my eyes were closed,” Verhoeven said.
The comments came during a discussion ahead of the “Glory in Giza” event, where Usyk and Verhoeven will meet on May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza.
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Last updated on 2026/05/19 at 14:52
