If Saturday night brings the most surprising upset boxing has ever seen, the history books should thank Jason Statham.
A chance encounter with a Hollywood strongman has given Dutchman Rico Verhoeven an unexpected chance to challenge professional boxing legend Oleksandr Usyk for the world heavyweight title. The fight will take place in Egypt. Verhoeven is a kickboxing legend, but has only fought once in professional boxing.
It all started when Verhoeven met with British actor Statham, who is close to powerful Saudi boxing promoter Turki Alalshikh, in September 2024, during the week of the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight.
"I know you can beat a lot of these guys, maybe all of them," Verhoeven says he told Statham. "I said, 'Yes, 100%.'"
The next morning, things took a turn. Verhoeven was in the middle of a run when Statham called him.
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"Brother, I introduced your name. They liked it. They want to do it. They'll contact me, I'll give them your number," the Dutchman says.
Verhoeven was originally scheduled to face Anthony Joshua. But when the Briton's career was cut short by a serious car accident in November, something even bigger came to light.
Verhoeven's fight with Usyk may seem absurd. Usyk is a brilliant boxer and one of the best of the last few decades.
But Verhoeven believes his lack of experience and unpredictability could turn what many people consider impossible into reality.
"I'm a kickboxer. My stance is different, my movement is different and I'm naturally big, athletic. When I hit him, he'll feel the 20-pound difference in weight," the 37-year-old said.
Verhoeven is famous in his native country and recently finished filming the film “Road House 2.” His inner circle includes well-known names such as American actor Kevin Hart and Formula 1 star Max Verstappen. Even the King of the Netherlands is a fan.
Verhoeven's story began amid a turbulent childhood near the Belgian border. Raised initially by his mother, who struggled with alcohol and drug addiction, he moved to live with his father at the age of six.
His father was originally a karateka, but after an injury he started boxing and kickboxing. Then he started as a coach. He trained Verhoeven with discipline. Many things were not allowed to him, but now he is grateful for the discipline he taught him.
There were painful periods of distance, but Verhoeven reconciled with his father before his death. He also rebuilt his relationship with his mother, who died this year, during the Dutch fighter's training camp.
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Verhoeven's dominance in kickboxing cannot be overstated. He held the world heavyweight title in Glory for 12 years. His obsession began at the age of nine, while watching fellow Dutchman, Peter Aerts, win a world title. He scored a victory over Aerts a few years later.
Because of his size, he had a hard time finding opponents in his teens. At the age of 16, he moved up to the adult ranks. After just two fights, he had everyone to himself.
But many boxing fans consider it unfair that he got the chance to fight for a world title in professional boxing, before many boxers who have spent many years climbing the rankings.
Verhoeven, however, defends the WBC version's decision, insisting that the bout is fully justified.
"Like what Oleksandr did in boxing, I did in kickboxing for 12 years. I beat everyone and several times. The WBC is also the only boxing organization that looks at kickboxing and Muay-Thai. So the organization recognized me and gave me the credit I deserve."
Boxing is no stranger to Verhoeven, however. For more than 15 years he has trained under Peter Fury and has faced Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte and UFC champion Tom Aspinall.
There have been other athletes who have transitioned from martial arts to boxing, only to realize it's a separate sport. Francis Ngannou and Conor McGregor are among them.
Verhoeven says he is now realizing that boxing is more of an art.
"You have 12 rounds to paint your masterpiece. I like that mindset," he says.
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And if the painting in the battle near the pyramids of Giza ends well, he knows who to thank.
"The way I'm going to repay Jason is by doing what I told him I was going to do. And that's by making history," says Verhoeven.
