Overeem calls out Rico Verhoeven for boxing debut at Fury vs. Joshua Cardiff card

Alistair Overeem has issued a direct public challenge to Rico Verhoeven, calling on the GLORY heavyweight kickboxing champion to face him in a boxing match on the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua undercard at Principality Stadium in Cardiff on December 11. The former UFC heavyweight contender posted the callout on his Instagram stories, writing simply: “Stop hiding. Let’s make history.”

The rivalry between the two Dutch combat sports veterans has long unfinished business. Verhoeven and Overeem were originally scheduled to meet in 2021, but the bout fell apart when Overeem withdrew with an injury. The pair never rescheduled, leaving a matchup that fans of both kickboxing and MMA had anticipated for years unrealised.

Verhoeven stepped into the boxing ring for the first time this past May in Egypt, where he suffered a controversial 11th-round stoppage loss to undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Before that defeat, the Dutch striker had gone unbeaten in kickboxing for more than a decade, building one of the most dominant records the sport has seen.

Overeem’s own crossover credentials are complicated. He competed in kickboxing in 2022, defeating Badr Hari on points, but that result was subsequently overturned following a doping violation. His interest in transitioning to boxing is not new, though the Fury-Joshua card would represent a significant stage for any debut.

In MMA, Overeem closed out his UFC career with four knockout victories in his final six appearances between 2018 and 2021, including a first-round finish of Sergei Pavlovich. His broader résumé features wins over former and future champions Fabricio Werdum, Frank Mir, Brock Lesnar, Junior dos Santos, and Andrei Arlovski, as well as a Strikeforce heavyweight title.

No response from Verhoeven’s camp had been made public at the time of writing, and there is no confirmation from promoters that the bout is under consideration for the Cardiff event.