DUTCH COURAGE
“The next day, our teams started talking. And here we are.” There are comparisons here, of course, to the crossover contest in October 2023 with Fury and ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou, though Verhoeven is arguably more accomplished, with 11 years reigning as heavyweight king of Glory kickboxing and already an all-time great. Verhoeven, who will be 37 when he meets Usyk, has also crossed into the mainstream as an actor and was even the Dutch narrator of the main character in the hit cartoon movie Ferdinand . He will be seen alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in the upcoming Roadhouse 2 movie. Unique times that we are in. “One hundred percent,” Verhoeven agreed. “But I think just for martial arts in general, it is an amazing time. I think there has never been so many eyes on martial arts than there are today. And it’s beautiful.” He tells The Ring: “You don’t have to
agree, but if you ask me, it is because of situations and fights like these that we can cross over and we gel two different worlds together and make it more interesting. It gets more eyeballs on all martial arts. It’s super cool.” Why the fascination? “I think
everybody within their own world is also a fighter. We are all battling something. And they identify. Even the mother who lives next door is also fighting to take care of her kids. Somebody’s fighting to lose weight, somebody’s fighting cancer, somebody’s fighting to break through whatever boundaries there are. They’re doing it. So, everybody is, in their own spectrum, a fighter, and in their own perspective they are fighters. “What we do – literally by fighting
– is not for everybody, but it is very entertaining to watch, and I also believe that everybody feels that from within.” This fight in Egypt has its critics and its complexities – notably around the iconic WBC belt held by Usyk, which has been on, then off, and now on the table for certain. Liston, Ali, Holyfield, Tyson, Lewis … Understandably, Verhoeven is delighted to have the opportunity to battle for the coveted belt, strong in the belief behind his body of work, but
there are those who say he has not paid his dues. Verhoeven told The Ring: “It’s just pretty simple, actually. I’m not here to try and convince anybody that I am over-entitled or whatever, because I think this is just the new world. This is how everything is coming together these days. I’m not here to defend that or whatever, because everybody’s entitled to their own opinion. But I do understand how for some it does not make sense, because for them, I’m coming out of nowhere. Who is this guy? Because if they watch boxing or they watch MMA or they are crazy into those sports, they might not know me. “They may not know that within kickboxing, like I said, I’ve been dominating the sport for over a decade. So, if you ask me, ‘Why did the WBC sanction it?’ I think they looked at my credentials as a kickboxer and they said, like, ‘Yo, this guy is legit. It’s not just like
a random heavyweight coming out of nowhere trying to take the crown. “All I can do is to go in there and give one hundred percent. I’m going to give a hell of a fight to Usyk. Can I beat him? We will see. Of course, there’s always a possibility. This is heavyweight boxing. One punch can change everything. I truly believe that I can do this. I feel like it is destiny, that it has come around now for a reason. “I’ve fought in front of many thousands of fans, on huge nights, in hostile environments. I’ve been doing that for the last decade, fighting under that amount of pressure. I’m well-versed in the fight, the feeling and the television and media training aspects. I’m the full package that you need to be comfortable
Verhoeven has been a force of nature in kickboxing.
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