Rico Verhoeven vs Oleksandr Usyk official for WBC Heavyweight Championship — May 23 in Egypt (DAZN)

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GLORY Kickboxing chairman Pierre Andurand reacts to Turki Alalshikh:

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UPDATE:

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UPDATE 2:

Rico Verhoeven vs Oleksandr Usyk for Usyk’s WBC Heavyweight Championship is official!

The event will take place on May 23 in Giza, Egypt, live on DAZN.

Former GLORY Kickboxing champion vs former Undisputed Boxing champion.

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To add some extra background context to why Rico Verhoeven parted ways with GLORY Kickboxing and is now looking to fight elsewhere:

Rico Verhoeven was actually in advanced talks with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh for a massive Boxing crossover superfight in Saudi Arabia.
Team Verhoeven met Turki, who showed strong interest in putting together a global-level matchup for Rico against a world-famous Boxing name.

Because everything looked so positive, Rico and his manager soon flew to Saudi Arabia to continue developing the fight. This was around the Usyk–Fury II period, and GLORY was supposed to collaborate on the deal.
According to Dutch reports (De Telegraaf), Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season gave GLORY every opportunity to be part of this extremely lucrative event.

But in the end… the deal fell apart.

GLORY took too long to finalize their side of the agreement, communication stalled, and the Saudis simply moved on to a different opponent.
As a result, Rico lost the biggest crossover opportunity of his career. That was the first major breaking point between him and GLORY.

And this ties directly into something Rico had already been promised:
GLORY had agreed to give him the freedom to take crossover fights (Boxing or MMA) while still competing in Kickboxing, but that promise never materialized.
After the Saudi deal collapsed due to delays on GLORY’s end, Rico and his team basically decided it was time to move on.

That’s why he’s a free agent now, able to pursue Boxing or MMA opportunities directly, without anyone slowing negotiations down behind the scenes.

Given everything that happened, it makes perfect sense why Rico is exploring new opportunities. And honestly, with his name, accolades, and fanbase, a Boxing crossover superfight is still absolutely possible.
Team Verhoeven is actively exploring those options.

Hope that helps.

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After 12+ years as GLORY Heavyweight Champion, 13 successful title defenses, and winning the GLORY 8-man Heavyweight Grand Prix, Rico Verhoeven has officially vacated his title and left the world’s premier Kickboxing organization.
The 36-year-old Verhoeven has decided to move on from GLORY to pursue new challenges outside of Kickboxing, focusing on professional Boxing, UFC/MMA, or crossover superfights. He’s now a free agent, able to sign with any promotion.
The “King of Kickboxing” has already held talks with several major organizations, including the UFC, per Ariel Helwani.

GLORY has confirmed the news, praising Verhoeven’s decade-plus of dominance and announcing a major 2026 competitive overhaul, including yearly one-night tournaments and more active champions.
A new GLORY Heavyweight Champion will be crowned on February 7 at the Last Heavyweight Standing 8-man Grand Prix.

Despite the split, Rico shared an emotional message, saying he “gave everything to this sport and this organisation” since joining GLORY in 2012, selling out massive arenas, breaking records, and helping shape modern Kickboxing.
He thanked the behind-the-scenes staff, Pierre Andurand, and fans worldwide, adding: “It’s not a goodbye, it’s an until we meet again.”

Where do you want to see Rico Verhoeven fight next?

Boxing? UFC? PFL? Let me know!

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Written by: @BoxerMaurits

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Unreal resume and legacy:

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