Rico Verhoeven: is a big fight next?

Peter Fury wants a big name for Verhoeven, with Agit Kabayel emerging as a possible option.

Rico Verhoeven’s trainer, Peter Fury, wants him to set his sights on a big name in boxing, now that the idea of a rematch against Oleksandr Usyk seems rather unrealistic.

Rico Verhoeven caused a major upset in his first classic boxing match with a very strong performance. He was on the verge of defeating the undefeated Oleksandr Usyk but ultimately lost in the final round due to a stoppage. Afterward, he was determined to organize a rematch against Oleksandr Usyk, but Oleksandr Usyk subsequently relinquished his belts and will only fight one more time.

Following this strong performance by Rico Verhoeven, he received several offers to face other fighters, but his trainer believes he deserves something bigger. He told talkSPORT:

"I think Rico needs credible names in boxing. I see Rico hopefully in a big fight soon before the end of the year. I spoke to the team, they have several offers on the table and they are assessing which one to take next"

And this matchup isn’t all that far-fetched. Rico Verhoeven has already been included in the WBC’s world rankings and, with the right opponent, could quickly move toward a title fight.

One such option would be Agit Kabayel, who has even voluntarily offered to fight Rico Verhoeven for a title. Agit Kabayel’s trainer emphasized that it would be a great fight and that he was impressed by Rico Verhoeven’s performance. So it’s not at all unrealistic that the two might actually face off in the ring. The only question is how quickly both parties could reach an agreement, and whether the governing bodies would support it as well. If Rico Verhoeven really gets this chance, he’ll have already had two title fights in just two boxing bouts. Would that be a fair decision, or would other boxers be at a disadvantage here? What do you think?

Personally, I think it would be better if Rico Verhoeven fought one more bout first, without going straight back for the title. If he shows what he’s capable of again, he’ll definitely have earned it back, but organizing a new title fight right away would be a bit overconfident, in my opinion.