“Thank you, brother @Turki_alalshikh, for the invitation! It was great to meet, talk, and share the emotions from the fights together. Looking forward to the next time!” As he concluded his visit to New York, which coincided with the Ring Awards and the Teofimo Lopez-Shakur Stevenson Ring VI event, Oleksandr Usyk tweeted a farewell message sometime ago. Pictures of the unified heavyweight champion and the Riyadh Season head sitting ringside at Madison Square Garden as the Teo-Shakur card unfolded drew widespread attention.

Their public camaraderie follows reports suggesting Oleksandr Usyk is parting ways with Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season and seeking a new partnership in the U.S. with a potential matchup against former champion Deontay Wilder. However, with Wilder now scheduled to face Derek Chisora in April, that plan now appears on hold, leaving Usyk searching for a new opponent. Turki Alalshikh has hinted at a new matchup, but it would need approval from Mauricio Sulaiman.

Mauricio Sulaiman weighs Turki Alalshikh’s new Usyk proposal

The unfamiliar name has the WBC president pressing pause. Speaking with Ariel Helwani, who asked if he would be comfortable with Usyk facing Rico Verhoeven. The Dutch kickboxer happens to be GLORY’s longest-reigning heavyweight champion and a former professional boxer with a 1–0 record.

Rico’s name surfaced after His Excellency Turki Alalshikh floated the idea. In an X post, he wrote, “I want to see him against Oleksandr Usyk 😈.” His message appeared above a short clip of Verhoeven knocking out his opponent. But Sulaiman seemed distant from the suggestion. He told Helwani, “I don’t know (Rico)…I don’t know, Rico, or this is the first time I’ve heard about this.”

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Making his position clear, Sulaiman explained that the WBC has already given Usyk an exemption from a mandatory title defense, considering that talks about a matchup against Deontay Wilder had gathered momentum.

Beyond that, he is not aware of any other development in that area. He also clarified that the WBC does have ranking standards regarding boxers who decide to compete in Muay Thai or kickboxing or even return to amateur boxing.

“We do have in one of the ratings criteria for a boxer what they do in Muay Thai or amateur boxing. That’s one of the criteria,” Sulaiman said.

Usyk’s options multiply as WBC reviews Rico angle

Still, he remains uncertain about where Rico Verhoeven would rank within that mix. So he will have to revisit the matter and check a few more details, Sulaiman stated, since he would not want to mislead or speculate on the subject.

Turning back to Usyk, it would not be the first time he has been matched up against a kickboxer.

Back in 2019, he was slated to face Tyrone Spong, a GLORY and K-1 fighter. But the kickboxer’s reported involvement in a doping controversy resulted in him being replaced by heavyweight Chazz Witherspoon.

Meanwhile, Rico Verhoeven’s name also surfaced as a potential matchup against former unified champion Anthony Joshua.

Speaking with reporters after Joshua knocked out Jake Paul, his promoter Eddie Hearn addressed the rising speculation about a fight between AJ and Verhoeven. The English promoter revealed they have been talking with Turki Alalshikh about a few opponents. But like Sulaiman, even Hearn seemed uncertain when Rico Verhoeven’s name emerged. “Rico—or whoever it is—we haven’t finalized that yet,” he said.

With an interim champion already waiting for an opportunity, it would pose a challenge for Sulaiman and his team if Usyk were cleared to fight Verhoeven. There is also a strong possibility Wilder, should he defeat Chisora, could reclaim the slot against Usyk, leaving the WBC inclined to hold off before reacting.