Rico Verhoeven

Rico Verhoeven is a Dutch heavyweight kickboxer born in 1989 in Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands.

Rico Verhoeven is a Dutch heavyweight kickboxer born in 1989 in Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands. He is best known for a long reign in GLORY, where he held the heavyweight title for more than a decade and became one of the most accomplished champions in the sport. He has also been described as a boxer and has taken part in crossover boxing bouts.

Early life

Verhoeven was born in Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands, on 10 April 1989. Sources describe him as having started martial arts at a young age before later moving into professional kickboxing.

Kickboxing career

He became a professional kickboxer in the 2000s and competed in promotions including K-1, It's Showtime, Superkombat and GLORY. He became especially known for his long heavyweight title reign in GLORY.

GLORY heavyweight reign

Sources state that Verhoeven held the GLORY heavyweight title for over 4,000 days and set promotion records for title-bout wins, consecutive title defenses, total wins and winning streaks. He is widely regarded as one of the most dominant champions in the sport.

Boxing crossover

In addition to kickboxing, Verhoeven has been described as a boxer. German and Dutch-language sources report that he fought Oleksandr Usyk in May 2026 in a challenge for the WBC heavyweight title.