Soon after the announcement, Verhoeven posted a message on social media aimed directly at his former opponent.
“The last dance. REMATCH TIME. Let’s make this the biggest crossover fight of this era.”
The pair met in May at the “Glory in Giza” event in Egypt in what was billed as one of the biggest crossover fights in combat sports history.
Usyk retained his WBC heavyweight title by stopping the GLORY heavyweight champion in the eleventh round, although the contest proved far more competitive than many expected. Verhoeven was ahead 96-94 on one scorecard, with the other two judges having it level at 95-95 before the stoppage. Team Verhoeven later filed a protest over confusion surrounding the end of the tenth round, but the result stood.
With Usyk now stepping away from the heavyweight championship picture, Verhoeven sees an opportunity to revisit the rivalry. Whether the former undisputed champion intends to fight again remains unclear, but the Dutch kickboxing star has already made it known that a second meeting is at the top of his wish list.
The first fight generated significant interest from both boxing and kickboxing fans, making a rematch an easy event to market if Usyk decides to return.
