- Rico Verhoeven told talkSPORT: "They offered me Deontay Wilder. I said yes," for a fight on 11 December, but added "I can’t confirm just yet"
- The fight would potentially join the Tyson Fury v Anthony Joshua card at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, though no undercard slot or terms are confirmed and Wilder has not responded
- My prediction, if it happens: Wilder by knockout inside six rounds
Verhoeven Says He Has Said Yes To Wilder
Right then. Rico Verhoeven has told talkSPORT that he has been offered a fight with Deontay Wilder and that he has accepted it, with 11 December the date being talked about. His words were: “They offered me Deontay Wilder. I said yes.” He also said “I can’t confirm just yet” and that the details still have to be discussed. Verhoeven did not say who made the offer.
Here is where things stand, because there is a lot of noise. Wilder’s side has not responded, no terms have been negotiated, and nothing has been announced. The talk is that it could land on the undercard of Tyson Fury against Anthony Joshua at Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 11 December, which is the card I covered when tickets went on sale. Let’s not beat around the bush, it is one side of a deal, and one side of a deal is not a fight.
Why It Would Be Box Office
If it gets signed, it is a proper curiosity. Verhoeven is a former GLORY heavyweight champion who crossed over to boxing, and he lost to Oleksandr Usyk by stoppage in round 11 in Egypt in May. I wrote about that in my result piece. Peter Fury is still in his corner. Credit where it is due: lasting 11 rounds with Usyk shows he has a chin and a work ethic.
The Problem For Verhoeven
Make no mistake, Wilder is a different type of problem to Usyk. Usyk is a boxer who takes your will away round by round. Wilder is a man with a right hand that can end the fight in any second of any round. Wilder has been linked to a fight with Usyk in March 2027 in recent talks I covered, so he will be wanting a statement. I am not sure Verhoeven’s boxing is polished enough to deal with that threat for long.
My Prediction
If it happens, Wilder by knockout, somewhere inside six rounds. Verhoeven will be big, strong and brave, and he might even land some good shots early. But Wilder only needs one clean right hand, and Verhoeven is still learning the boxing game at the highest level. If you know, you know. Until Wilder says yes and there is a signed contract, though, treat this one as a negotiation and nothing more.