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'It was a big moment for me' - What is it like to face Rico Verhoeven in a boxing fight?
Kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven is in the final stages of preparing to face unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in what will be just his second professional boxing bout.
Fighting in front of the Pyramids of Giza on Saturday night, live on DAZN PPV and DAZN Ultimate, it will be a historic event, but a contest which many expect Usyk to win with ease.
Verhoeven may be known for his kickboxing exploits, but the sweet science has always been a part of his life in combat sports.
Under the eyes of Peter Fury, Verhoeven has always been working on his boxing, and has even sparred two-time world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Inside Usyk and Rico training camps
But what was it like to face Verhoeven in his professional boxing debut?
Hungarian heavyweight Janos Finfera knows, he was the man in the opposite corner when the two met in Darmstadt, Germany, 12 years ago.
Finfera had lost all five of his previous fights before facing Verhoeven, which included a second-round stoppage defeat to Hughie Fury, Tyson’s cousin in May 2013.
Speaking exclusively to DAZN News, Finfera explained how the fight with Verhoeven was made.
“Before the Rico fight, I had a fight in Romania, and my opponent was Tyson Fury’s cousin, Hughie Fury.
“I had a picture with Rico, and he had the same trainer as Hughie, Peter Fury.
“His manager then asked my trainer about a fight with Rico wanting to try professional boxing, and I said why not. It was a big moment for me to fight Rico.”
Verhoeven scores knockout in boxing debut
Fast forward 11 months, and Finfera was going head-to-head with Verhoeven.
“I was 20kg lighter than Rico. I was 104kg, Rico was 124kg, but it does not matter at heavyweight,” Finfera said when reflecting on the fight.
There was a clear size difference between Finfera and Verhoeven. The Dutchman was in superior shape, but this did not deter Finfera from going on the front foot early.
“Rico has long arms, so I thought it would be best to put pressure on him. He can’t use his legs so I believed this would work in my favour.”
A scrappy first round saw Verhoeven unfazed as Finfera often clinched in the hope of keeping his opponent quiet.
But then in round two, Verhoeven managed to pin Finfera and finish him off with a glancing right hand.
Finfera pinned his reason for losing on his conditioning which saw him drop his arms, making him an open target for the Dutchman’s knockout blow.
“In the first round, I felt a little bit of power from Rico. In the second round, my conditioning failed me, my hands went down and Rico caught me.”
The defeat to Verhoeven spelled the end for Finfera’s boxing career, but he now owns a gym and trains fighters in Hungary’s capital Budapest.
'I think Rico can beat Usyk'
Verhoeven is still someone who Finfera holds in high regard, and he even predicted that his former rival could produce one of boxing’s biggest upsets against Usyk.
“I think Rico can beat him; a fight is a fight.
“One comes from kickboxing, the other comes from boxing, they are different, but both use their hands.
“Rico has good hands and a good heart.”
Watch Usyk vs. Verhoeven only on DAZN
Oleksandr Usyk puts his unbeaten record on the line against Rico Verhoeven on Saturday, May 23, in front of the Egyptian pyramids, live and exclusive on DAZN. Buy as a one-off PPV or included, along with Zayas vs. Ennis (June 27) PPV, with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
