One of the most titled Dutch kickboxers, Rico Verhoeven, has been in the ring for more than 13 years. During this time, the 27-year-old athlete conquered more than one title, thanks to which he became one of the idols of admirers of martial arts.
Coming to the ring
On April 10, Rico Verhoeven was born in the provincial Dutch city of Bergen op Zom. The biography of the athlete in kickboxing began in childhood - at 6 years old, the parents sent the child to the karate section, and a year later, Rico came to kickboxing. Thanks to its size and extraordinary strength, by the age of 16, the young Dutchman showed excellent technique and achieved great success. The debut in the professional ring took place for the kickboxer in October 2004 - in a duel with another rookie Brian Duves, a draw was recorded.
Rico Verhoeven confidently won his next 7 fights, and the first defeat took place only in 2007 - Said Elijajuy was too tough for the young Dutchman. In 2008, the athlete signed a contract with the K-1 kickboxing organization, in the tournaments of which he took part for 4 years. The beginning of performances at a new level was very successful for Rico - he did not know defeats for 8 fights.
In 2012, the gaining popularity, Glory agreed on a contract with Rico, and a year later he was able to win his first title by winning the Grand Prix of the heavyweights, having defeated the finals by unanimous decision of Romanian judges Daniel Giza. Four times, Rico Verhoeven was forced to defend his champion title in the future, and not once did a kickboxer from the Netherlands let the judges doubt himself, having won twice by knockout and twice more by unanimous decision.
Performance statistics and new samples
In kickboxing, the statistics of Rico Verhoeven's performances are quite high. The Dutchman’s victory rate is more than 80 percent - in 60 fights, he left the ring 49 times as a winner, while in 12 cases he celebrated Victoria by knockout. In addition to kickboxing, Rico tried his hand at professional boxing, in 2014 he defeated Hungarian Janos Finfer by knockout, and a year later Verhoeven competed in the MMA tournament, becoming the winner in the first round in a duel with the German Viktor Bogutsky. Now Rico continues his successful performance in the ring and strives for new victories, including in new types of martial arts for him.