“I don’t care if people didn’t know, but I didn’t know that we played well against this guy,” said Verhoeven speaking to Ring Magazine. “I’ve shown that I can fight and I know how to box, so I’m ready for anyone, maybe I didn’t hurt him, but I surprised him with the angles I took him.”
Traditional promoters may be interested in matching their heavyweights against Rico because he is now a recognizable name that brings curiosity and attention. The problem is the financial side.
A fighter with a 1-1 losing record generally won’t command a guaranteed big purse. If the promoters pay Rico a lot of money and the event fails to generate enough pay-per-views or ticket sales to cover both purses, they could lose a lot of money from the event.
That’s why the Riyadh Season changes the equation. Saudi-backed events have shown a willingness to finance show wars and absorb risks that traditional promoters tend to avoid. Rico’s crossover value, the controversy from the Usyk fight, and the kickboxing fan base still make him useful in that area even without an established boxing record.
Turki Alalshikh has expressed interest in a rematch between Usyk and Verhoeven after Usyk could face WBC heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel next.
If a rematch is indeed part of the plan, Rico is unlikely to face any serious opponents just yet. Pairing him with a Heavyweight like Moses Itauma or Frank Sanchez would create unnecessary risk ahead of a possible second fight with Usyk.
Losing a legitimate opponent could end Rico’s streak against Usyk and weaken the rematch story.
“I only want big fights,” Verhoeven said. “The boxing chapter is closed. It’s a new chapter now. The boxing chapter.”
“Big fights” are just hype very large checks. At 37 years old and coming out of the 11th round, he does not have a comfortable time to build a professional boxing career from the ground up.
Those “big wars” probably only become reality if Saudi money stays attached to them.
Apart from His Highness, there is no market for him at the top level. Traditional promoters won’t shell out millions for a newly established crossover kickboxer, no matter how competitive he looked on the cards before Usyk dropped him.
On mainstream boxing networks, he’s a high-risk, low-prize contender who brings a unique style but lacks the basic boxing pedigree to draw the usual big pay-per-view numbers on his own.
If the Riyadh Season loses interest in sponsoring these particular types of glasses, his options dry up quickly. He gets paid big to face middle-class heavyweights on regular cards, or realizes that boxing’s temptation was a temporary, lucrative job and calls it a day.
Unless Turki wants to throw him a bone to fight again or fight someone like Agit Kabayel, where do you think he can turn with that money?
