{"id":1154,"date":"2026-05-22T11:38:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T11:38:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1154"},"modified":"2026-05-22T11:38:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T11:38:44","slug":"usyk-and-mayweather-put-kickboxers-in-spotlight-as-they-step-into-ring-against-unlikely-opponents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1154","title":{"rendered":"Usyk and Mayweather put kickboxers in spotlight as they step into ring against unlikely opponents"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FILE -Boxers Oleksandr Usyk, left, and Rico Verhoeven face off during a press conference to announce their upcoming WBC World Heavyweight Championship boxing match, in London, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo\/Alastair Grant, File)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

The combat sports landscape has evolved so much that a 37-year-old Dutch kickboxer is getting a chance to become a boxing heavyweight champion.<\/p>

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Rico Verhoeven will face Oleksandr Usyk<\/a> (24-0, 15 KOs) on Saturday in a scheduled 12-round bout being staged at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. If Verhoeven pulls off what would be a historic upset, he\u2019ll take Usyk\u2019s WBC belt.<\/p>\n

Verhoeven isn\u2019t the only kickboxer in the spotlight. Floyd Mayweather Jr.<\/a> has scheduled an exhibition bout next month in Greece against Mike Zambidis, who like Verhoeven is a former kickboxing champion.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s some more information:<\/p>\n

Verhoeven was a superstar in Glory Kickboxing, one of the sport\u2019s biggest promotions.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-5 Dutchman compiled a career kickboxing record of 66-10 with 21 KOs, according to Glory. His last fight was in June \u2014 a unanimous decision over Artem Vakhitov. Title fights are usually five three-minute rounds.<\/p>\n

Verhoeven is training with Peter Fury, uncle of Tyson Fury<\/a> . He\u2019s also sparred in the past with the former heavyweight champion. Verhoeven is friends with action star Jason Statham<\/a> .<\/p>\n

He\u2019s had one pro boxing bout \u2014 a knockout victory in 2014.<\/p>\n

The 45-year-old Zambidis was an icon of the K-1 circuit, but he hasn\u2019t fought in the sport since 2015. At 5-foot-6, Zambidis was known for his aggressive style and knockout power. Of his 158 kickboxing victories<\/a> , 87 were KOs. He had a boxing bout in 2019 \u2014 a four-round unanimous decision win.<\/p>\n

Former heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko won several kickboxing titles before switching to boxing. He\u2019s the longtime mayor of Kyiv<\/a> .<\/p>\n

British heavyweights Dillian Whyte and Matt Skelton were successful kickboxers. In boxing, Whyte challenged for the WBC world heavyweight title in 2022, losing to Tyson Fury<\/a> . Skelton, who retired after losing to Anthony Joshua in 2014, had fought for a world title in 2008.<\/p>\n

Samart Payakaroon, who was an elite Muay Thai champion, switched to boxing in the early 1980s and became the WBC super bantamweight world champion.<\/p>\n

Boxing champions Lauren Price of Wales and Chantelle Cameron of England were both successful kickboxers.<\/p>\n

Not every transition is smooth, of course, especially when you start at the top.<\/p>\n

Tenshin Nasukawa was a champion kickboxer when he faced Mayweather in a 2018 exhibition bout in Japan. Mayweather, then 41, dropped Nasukawa three times<\/a> in the first round and danced in the neutral corner as the young Japanese fighter\u2019s team threw in the towel. Nasukawa has since embarked on a boxing career and last November fought for the WBC bantamweight title, losing to Takuma Inoue.<\/p>\n

Matt Skelton had to quickly learn to plant his feet more.<\/p>\n

In kickboxing, \u201ca lot of our movement on the outside is done on our toes \u2026 to avoid getting heavy kicks to our legs. When I came to boxing, we\u2019re told to plant our feet, everything is from the waist,\u201d he told The Associated Press.<\/p>

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It\u2019s hard to account for inexperience, though. Skelton, who had switched to boxing in his mid-30s, said he was too one dimensional in his 2008 world title fight against then-WBA champion Ruslan Chagaev, who was \u201cable to adapt, because of his experience at that level and his amateur experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Verhoeven lasts 12 rounds with Usyk, Skelton said, \u201cthat in itself would be a great achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy Baker, president of the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO), said kickboxers must adjust to \u201crange\u201d \u2014 the distance between themselves and their opponents. In kickboxing, they have different ranges for hands, legs and knees.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere they are at a disadvantage is they normally fight in three different ranges where a boxer fights in one range,\u201d Baker told The AP.<\/p>\n

On the plus side, kickboxers can absorb heavy blows. Legs, Baker said, \u201chave between 8 and 10 times the power of your hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kickboxing made the shortlist for inclusion at the 2028 Los Angeles Games but ultimately wasn\u2019t selected.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was still a privilege to be in the final list,\u201d Baker said.<\/p>\n

The next shot is the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane, Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went down to Brisbane, we did our pitch,\u201d Baker told The AP. \u201cWe just wait, everybody waits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kickboxing was added to the World Games in 2017 as an invitational sport and has been a part of the official program in each edition since. The World Games is sometimes seen as a testing ground for future Olympic inclusion.<\/p>\n

Kickboxing features a variety of disciplines, contact rules and skill levels to encourage widespread participation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a huge youth following and that\u2019s something of great interest to the IOC,\u201d Baker said.<\/p>\n

Usyk also holds the WBA and IBF belts but Verhoeven can\u2019t win those Saturday. If Usyk loses, the WBA says<\/a> it would \u201creview his status and determine the next course of action regarding the heavyweight championship.\u201d The IBF has indicated that an Usyk loss would result in the belt being vacated.<\/p>

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The fight is available on DAZN pay per view.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP boxing: https:\/\/apnews.com\/boxing<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The combat sports landscape has evolved so much that a 37-year-old Dutch kickboxer is getting a chance to become a boxing heavyweight champion<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nUsyk and Mayweather put kickboxers in spotlight as they step into ring against unlikely opponents - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1154\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Usyk and Mayweather put kickboxers in spotlight as they step into ring against unlikely opponents - 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