Rico Verhoeven has accepted an offer to fight Deontay Wilder on the undercard of the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua show at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on 11 December — but the bout is not signed yet, because the Dutchman is still waiting on a yes from Wilder’s side.
Verhoeven confirmed the talks on talkSPORT’s White and Jordan show on Thursday, telling the programme that his team received a wave of offers after his May defeat to Oleksandr Usyk and that a fight with the former WBC heavyweight champion is the one he wants.
“We got an offer for the December 11 card,” Verhoeven said. “I can’t 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. Of course, the details still need to be talked about. I’m waiting on the response. So if there is a yes from the other side, then it is going to happen.”
Why Verhoeven’s stock has never been higher
It is a strange place for a man with a 1-1 professional boxing record to find himself: being courted for one of the biggest cards of the year. But Verhoeven’s performance against Usyk in May changed the arithmetic entirely.
The 37-year-old opened as a monumental underdog against the lineal heavyweight champion, a man widely regarded as one of the best fighters of the past two decades in any division. Verhoeven had boxed professionally only once before — a win in 2014, followed by a 12-year gap — and few gave him a chance of surviving the distance.
Instead, he made Usyk work hard for everything. According to Sports Illustrated’s account of the fight, Verhoeven won the first round on all three judges’ cards and, until the finish, had banked at least five rounds while the champion looked slower and older. Referee Mark Lyson stepped in with one second left in the 11th round, a stoppage Verhoeven’s supporters continue to view as controversial. At the time of the stoppage, two judges had the fight level and the third had Verhoeven ahead.
The Dutch kickboxing legend, who reigned at the top of his original sport for 11 years, has since decided to stay in boxing rather than return to kickboxing full-time. “After that fight [with Usyk], we got a bunch of offers from all different sides and directions, so that was good to see,” he told talkSPORT. “We slowly took everything in and took a look at all the offers and opponents, and I’ve decided I am going to stay in boxing.”
Wilder: the offer that replaced two other plans
The Wilder opportunity arrived after a series of other options fell away. Talk of a fight with WBC heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel circulated for a time, and a domestic-adjacent clash with fellow Dutchman Alistair Overeem was also in the running, according to talkSPORT. Neither materialised into the kind of offer Verhoeven’s team wanted.
For Wilder, the opening comes after negotiations with Usyk collapsed. The Ukrainian had been lined up to box the American in what was described as his last dance, targeted for March next year, but respected boxing journalist Dan Rafael reports those discussions are now “dead in the water”.
There was also a rival plan on the table. It had been reported that Wilder was being explored as an opponent for cruiserweight king Jai Opetaia, who could have made his heavyweight debut on the same Cardiff bill before targeting a cruiserweight clash with David Benavidez next year. Where that fight now stands after Verhoeven’s announcement is unclear.
What shape is Wilder in?
On paper, the 40-year-old former WBC champion remains the favourite. In practice, the picture is murkier. Wilder was once considered the most feared puncher of his generation, but he has looked like a shadow of his former self since his punishing trilogy with Fury, losing four of his last five fights at one point.
He has since bounced back with consecutive wins over Tyrrell Herndon and Derek Chisora, the latter a split-decision victory in April. Neither performance, by common consent, was particularly impressive. Sports Illustrated notes Wilder’s record across his last seven fights stands at 3-4, and at his age critics will wonder how much longer he can keep going.
What he retains, though, is the one attribute that never really fades: fight-ending power. He may not be the most accurate puncher, but a single clean shot can settle any heavyweight contest, and that alone keeps every Wilder fight live until the final bell.
Why the odds are closer than they look
A glance at the records — Wilder a former world champion with a long knockout highlight reel, Verhoeven a part-time boxer with two professional bouts — suggests a mismatch. The aftermath of the Usyk fight argues otherwise.
Verhoeven displayed poise amid heavy flurries and a quicker pace than anyone expected, and he did it against arguably the most technically accomplished heavyweight of his era. Against a 40-year-old Wilder whose recent form has been patchy, the odds are likely to be much closer than they first appear, as talkSPORT put it.
There is also a clear incentive for the Dutchman. Neither man may be positioned to challenge for a major world championship right now, but a victory for Verhoeven on a stage this large could move him closer to another shot at a title, while a win for Wilder would begin the slow work of rebuilding a reputation dented by four losses in five fights.
Cardiff awaits — and so does a signature
The Fury vs Joshua megacard in Cardiff makes natural sense as the landing spot. If promoters want this fight on the biggest stage of the year, Principality Stadium on 11 December is it. Other major fights are rumoured for the bill, though nothing beyond the main event’s broad shape is set in stone just yet.
For now, the sequence is simple: Verhoeven has said yes, the details still need to be discussed, and the ball sits with Wilder’s camp. If the answer comes back positive, one of the more improbable heavyweight match-ups of the year — a kickboxing legend with two professional boxing bouts against the hardest hitter of his generation — joins a card that already needs no help selling itself.
Until that yes arrives, Verhoeven, like everyone else, is waiting.
FAQ
Has the Rico Verhoeven vs Deontay Wilder fight been confirmed?
Not yet. Verhoeven told talkSPORT that he has been offered the fight and has accepted, but details still need to be discussed and he is waiting on a response from the other side before it can happen.
When and where would Verhoeven vs Wilder take place?
The offer is for the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua card on 11 December at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
What happened in Rico Verhoeven's fight with Oleksandr Usyk?
Verhoeven lost by 11th-round stoppage in May, but the finish was controversial: referee Mark Lyson stepped in with one second left in the round, and at the time two judges had the fight level while the third had Verhoeven ahead.
Why is Deontay Wilder fighting Verhoeven instead of Oleksandr Usyk?
Usyk had been lined up to box Wilder in a fight targeted for March next year, but journalist Dan Rafael reports those negotiations are now dead in the water, opening the door to the Verhoeven offer.