Rico Verhoeven has turned to Tyson Fury’s family for support as he gears up for a landmark fight.
Fresh off another impressive win last June, Verhoeven started to be talked about in connection with a switch to boxing after his continued dominance in Glory Kickboxing.
Towards the end of last year, the kickboxing champion reportedly declined an offer from the UFC to join their heavyweight ranks and face Derrick Lewis.
Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Verhoeven will challenge Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC heavyweight title, with the bout set to take place at the iconic Pyramids of Giza.
Peter Fury brought in by Rico Verhoeven to train for Oleksandr Usyk fight
Usyk has had a number of high-profile rivalries during his career, but none bigger than the one with Tyson Fury.
The Ukrainian defeated ‘The Gypsy King’ twice, with the 2024 win sending the Brit back into retirement.
Now, as he gets ready for his big fight against the former undisputed heavyweight champion, Verhoeven has turned to Tyson’s uncle, Peter Fury, for support.
Peter announced on Instagram that he is heading to the Netherlands to begin a three-month training camp with Verhoeven.
Their connection goes beyond this training camp. The Dutch fighter has spent time in previous camps that the British coach ran and even sparred with both Tyson and Hughie Fury over the years.
Rico Verhoeven shares his current weight ahead of fight camp
Usyk, who made his name dominating the cruiserweight division, is not typically considered one of the bigger heavyweights in the sport.
The heaviest he has ever come in for a fight was 227 pounds, which happened ahead of his rematch with Fury.
Verhoeven, meanwhile, has filled out significantly since making the move from light heavyweight to heavyweight.
Speaking just before starting training camp, Verhoeven revealed he is weighing in at 278 pounds and admitted there is plenty of work ahead to get into fight shape.
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