Rico Verhoeven has accepted an offer to fight Deontay Wilder on December 11, potentially adding another heavyweight bout to the Tyson Fury–Anthony Joshua undercard in Cardiff.
Wilder’s response is still outstanding, and the terms need to be negotiated. However, Verhoeven has made his willingness clear as he looks to continue boxing after his stoppage loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
“I can’t confirm just yet,” Verhoeven told talkSPORT. “What I can tell you is that they offered me the fight. They offered me Deontay Wilder. I said yes.”
“The details need to be talked about still. But for that, I’m waiting on a response. So, if there’s a yes from the other side, it’s going to happen.”
Verhoeven did not identify who made the offer. His comments introduce another possible opponent for Wilder, who had been linked with a fight against Jai Opetaia on the same card.
Wilder would give Verhoeven an opportunity to turn the praise he received against Usyk into a victory over an established heavyweight. Going deep into a fight with Usyk earned him attention, but beating Wilder would give him something firmer to build on.
There is an obvious danger in treating Wilder as a faded name to collect. His right hand still gives Verhoeven a reason to be careful. Yet Wilder’s reduced activity and hesitant offense in recent performances could allow the Dutchman time to settle into the fight.
Verhoeven also made clear that he intends to remain in boxing after considering several offers.
“I want to make a statement,” he said. “I want to show that … I am able to transition into the sport of boxing.”
Peter Fury remains in his corner, and Verhoeven is already looking beyond the proposed December appearance. He hopes Joshua beats Fury because he wants that fight himself.
“I hope that Anthony Joshua’s winning that fight because then I’m next for him.”
Beating Wilder would give that ambition a stronger foundation. First, Wilder needs to accept.
Putting Wilder against Verhoeven spares Jai Opetaia a bizarre heavyweight detour that threatened to derail his cruiserweight meeting with David Benavidez. That alone makes it slightly more tolerable than the initial rumor, but it remains a carnival booking.
Wilder has looked completely spent for years. At 40, his trigger is hesitant, his balance is compromised, and the reflex to pull the trigger on his right hand has eroded. Grinding past an aging Derek Chisora by a 12-round split decision did not erase the one-sided beatings he took against Joseph Parker, Fury, or Zhilei Zhang.
Verhoeven, 37, proved his toughness by surviving into the eleventh round against Oleksandr Usyk, but surviving is not contending. He is an elite kickboxer with a tiny boxing resume, still learning basic ring craftsmanship under boxing rules.
Sticking two aging names together with mismatched pedigrees belongs on the preliminary streaming portion of the broadcast, not sharing equal billing right beneath Fury against Joshua. It caters to novelty rather than sport.
