Rico Verhoeven accepts offer to face former heavyweight champion on Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua card

Rico Verhoeven has accepted a major opportunity to feature on the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua undercard, albeit without knowing whether it will actually materialise.The 37-year-old has not fought since his May encounter with Oleksandr Usyk, who scored an 11th-round finish but was made to work surprisingly hard for his victory.Prior to that, Verhoeven had crafted a distinguished kickboxing career while, in his only professional boxing match, was 1-0 against a little-known heavyweight he faced in 2014.It therefore came as a sizable shock that the Dutchman was even somewhat competitive against Usyk, who naturally entered their fight as an almighty favourite.As for his next outing, Verhoeven has revealed that he could end up facing Deontay Wilder, who comes off a split decision victory over Derek Chisora in April.At the age of 40, the former WBC champion is not what he once was but on paper, at least would still be considered the favourite against Verhoeven.Speaking to talkSPORT, the former kickboxing champion said he has accepted the fight but, nevertheless, is awaiting confirmation on whether he will appear at Cardiffs Principality Stadium.We got an offer for the December 11 card. I cant confirm just yet [that I will be on the card].What I can confirm is that they offered me a fight with Deontay Wilder, and I said yes.While Verhoeven may have accepted the offer, there have also been reports that Wilder could instead face Jai Opetaia, who could make his heavyweight debut on December 11 before targeting a cruiserweight clash with David Benavidez next year. Oscar De La Hoya urges Canelo to cancel comeback against Christian Mbilli16 Oct, 2026Devin Haney sets sights on one man after Shakur Stevenson talks collapse16 Oct, 2026Tim Bradley blames one man for Devin Haney vs Shakur Stevenson collapse: Biggest duck in boxing16 Oct, 2026Fabio Wardley weighs in at career heaviest for Daniel Dubois rematch: Revenge by KO16 Oct, 2026