The line between innovation and overreach keeps getting thinner in combat sports. Every time that boundary shifts, fans are quick to react, especially when elite legacies are involved. One short social media post was all it took for that tension to resurface.

On February 1, 2026, Saudi Arabia’s entertainment chief and boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh floated a crossover idea that immediately split the combat sports world. Sharing a knockout clip of kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven, Alalshikh wrote that he wanted to see him fight undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk.

What followed was not curiosity first, but resistance.

Turki Alalshikh pushes Rico Verhoeven vs Oleksander Usyk crossover clash

Alalshikh’s post featured Verhoeven’s brutal first-round knockout of Benjamin Adegbuyi at GLORY 22. The caption left little room for interpretation. “I want to see him against Oleksandr Usyk.”

Verhoeven leaned into the idea almost instantly. Replying to the post, he added a hybrid twist that raised even more eyebrows. “That is the challenge I’ve been waiting for… UNDISPUTED vs UNDISPUTED. 1 round boxing / 1 round kickboxing. Let’s see if we can get to 12.”

Top Stories

MSG Official Threatens to Ban for Life After Team Haney, Tiger Johnson Brawl at Teofimo-Shakur Weigh-Ins

Who Are Shakur Stevenson’s Parents? Details About Father, Mother & Family

Boxing Fight Purse: How Much Are Teofimo Lopez, Shakur Stevenson, Keyshawn Davis, and Others Earning?

Shakur Stevenson’s Ethnicity, Flag, Religion & Other Details About His Roots

“I’m Suppose to Be Muslim”: Shakur Stevenson Opens Up on His Religious Beliefs, Reveals His Full Name

Crossover curiosity is no longer new. When Francis Ngannou boxed Tyson Fury, it showed how far promoters were willing to stretch the format. Still, that bout remained pure boxing. Mixing rounds and rule sets pushes into far riskier territory.

The timing also matters. Verhoeven has recently vacated his GLORY heavyweight title, making him a free agent after more than a decade on top. Usyk, meanwhile, is fresh off a July knockout of Daniel Dubois, securing his second run as undisputed heavyweight champion and leaving his next opponent undecided.

That context explains why Alalshikh’s idea landed loudly. It also explains why fans pushed back just as fast.

Fans split over the Turki Alalshikh, Rico Verhoeven, and Oleksandr Usyk idea

Once the proposal went public, the reaction was immediate and divided, with skepticism leading the way. The first response focused squarely on credibility. One fan summed up that frustration bluntly: “P4p number 1 against a guy who’s never boxed, cmon man.” That reaction reflects a protective instinct around Usyk’s standing. As the pound-for-pound benchmark in boxing, fans see little upside in risking his resume against an opponent without a meaningful professional boxing background.

That concern quickly escalated into comparisons with past crossover misfires. Another fan wrote: “Nah, if it’s in boxing, Usyk would 1000% wash him. It’s as good as Jake Paul fights… would be worse than AJ vs Francis Ngannou cuz at least ppl knew Ngannou.” The reference is telling. When Anthony Joshua knocked Ngannou out in the second round, it reinforced a pattern. Elite boxers tend to dismantle crossover opponents once the novelty fades, making the fight feel predetermined rather than competitive.

Others focused less on boxing dominance and more on how quickly it could end. One fan predicted: “Usyk would make quick work of this guy. Might even be one of his easiest wins.” That perspective treats the matchup as mismatched by design, regardless of Verhoeven’s accomplishments in kickboxing. From that angle, the fight risks becoming spectacle without suspense.

However, not all reactions favored Usyk. One fan flipped the argument entirely by pointing out the dangers of hybrid rules. “Oleksandr wouldn’t be able to take the leg kicks or properly defend the head and body kicks. There’s a reason Oleksandr boxes and don’t kickbox… 2 totally different sports, 1 has more weapons.” This reaction highlights the core issue. Once kicks enter the equation, the advantage swings dramatically. Boxing footwork, stance, and defense are not built to absorb leg kicks, turning the contest into something closer to an experiment than a sport.

Finally, there was resignation mixed with realism. One fan captured Alalshikh’s growing influence with a shrug rather than anger: “What brother TURKI wants, brother TURKI gets. His willing we see that in the near future.” That reaction acknowledges a broader truth. Since 2022, Alalshikh’s willingness to fund massive events has repeatedly reshaped boxing’s calendar, even when fans were skeptical at first.

The reaction is not about disrespecting Verhoeven. His kickboxing record and decade-long dominance speak for themselves. Instead, fans are drawing a line between innovation and dilution.

Usyk represents boxing at its most refined. Verhoeven represents excellence in a different discipline. Mixing those worlds may generate attention, but the immediate fan response shows a clear concern about fairness, safety, and legacy.

Alalshikh has the power to make almost anything happen. Still, this reaction proves that not every spectacle is automatically welcomed. For now, fans appear united on one point. Oleksandr Usyk stepping into a blended-rule experiment feels like a risk boxing does not need, even in an era built on spectacle.