Who is Rico Verhoeven? Get to know the man who could fight Anthony Joshua next

Anthony Joshua is expected to return to action in February or March following his knockout of Jake Paul, and the two-time world champion has been linked with a surprising name in Rico Verhoeven – a left-field pick unknown to many boxing fans.

Joshua’s next outing would be the start of the much-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury and hence, it is understandable that ‘AJ’ and Eddie Hearn could target low-risk dance partner so as not to endanger a lucrative relationship with “The Gypsy King”.

After facing a YouTuber turned boxer this month, Hearn asked about Joshua’s unexpected prospect facing Dutch kickboxer Verhoeven rather than an established heavyweight contender – a plan he has not ruled out.

“In an ideal world, this [February] would be the time. We’ll see when he’s ready. Rico – or whoever – we haven’t finalized that yet.

Hearn has since said that March seems more likely, and also pointed out that “AJ” would happily jump straight into a fight against Fury this summer if it could be negotiated.

If the Verhoeven route is the way to go, it would mean that none of Joshua’s last three victories would have come against an established boxer before a fight with Fury.

However, although Verhoeven is unfamiliar with the boxing world, he is known to Fury, having been a sparring partner and good friend of the two-time heavyweight champion since 2015 and a mainstay in the camps of Fury’s cousin Hughie Fury.

Verhoeven is recognized as one of the greatest kickboxers of all time, with a record of 66-10 and holding the GLORY (leading kickboxing promotion company) heavyweight title for an astonishing 4,220 days.

“The King of Kickboxing” vacated that belt last month, ending his legendary reign after 13 successful title defenses and interestingly declaring “it’s not goodbye, it’s until we meet again”, perhaps suggesting he will return to the franchise after AJ.

Alternatively, Verhoeven has been linked with a move to the UFC, as he looks to become a global superstar either in the squared circle or the Octagon, with the Joshua deal likely to determine which of those options the 36-year-old pursues.