Anthony Joshua’s Rumoured Fight With Kickboxing Legend Rico Verhoeven: Manager Shares Key Details
Anthony Joshua ended the 2025 season with massive hype following a brutal beatdown of YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. Both fighters clashed last weekend at Miami’s Kaseya Center, where the bout concluded via a devastating 6th-round knockout victory. As expected, Joshua dominated Paul from start to finish, using his size, power, and experience to deny any meaningful comeback opportunities.
Ahead of the fight, Paul confidently spoke about knocking out AJ, but afterward appeared humbled and satisfied to have survived six rounds. The final right hand was particularly nasty, reportedly breaking Paul’s jaw in two places and ending the contest emphatically. Despite the damage, Paul showed respect toward Joshua and acknowledged the challenge of facing a former heavyweight champion.
Following the matchup, speculation has grown about Joshua’s next move, with names like kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven being discussed. During the post-fight press conference, Joshua’s manager, Eddie Hearn, talked about the potential fight.
“In an ideal world, that would be the time. But we’re going to see when he’s ready. Rico or whoever it is, we haven’t finalised that yet, but the date really is what we are working on over the next four, five, six days. Because we’re not rushing him back if he’s not quite ready. It won’t be long. The plan is fight in spring and then obviously fight Tyson Fury,” said Eddie Hearn.
Rico Verhoeven vs. Anthony Joshua next?
Rico Verhoeven is widely regarded as the most dominant heavyweight in kickboxing history, ruling GLORY’s division for nearly a decade. He has defended the GLORY heavyweight title multiple times, beating elite contenders with technical precision, composure, and championship-level consistency.
What makes Verhoeven dangerous is his elite conditioning, devastating kicks, sharp boxing fundamentals, and ability to control distance relentlessly. Recently, Verhoeven vacated the GLORY heavyweight title to explore new challenges and has publicly teased interest in a potential professional boxing debut.
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However, Anthony Joshua has already called out Tyson Fury following his win against Jake Paul, and fans are more interested in that clash. The ‘Gypsy King’ has certainly retired, but it won’t be surprising to see him making a comeback and finishing his long-standing rivalry with AJ. It would be interesting to see what’s next for Joshua and whether he can maintain this ongoing momentum.
READ MORE: Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua: Was It Rigged?
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