The king of kickboxing Rico Verhoeven will return to the GLORY Kickboxing ring later this year. The musclebound Dutch striker will put his heavyweight kickboxing world title on the line against the interim titleholder Tariq “Cookie” Osaro.
In a recent press conference, Rico Verhoeven and Tariq “Cookie” Osaro traded barbs ahead of their Nov. 4 showdown headlining GLORY: COLLISION 6.
Rico Verhoeven
Having captured the GLORY Kickboxing heavyweight world title in 2014, Rico Verhoeven has been able to collect a whopping s`16 victories in that time with 10 successful title defenses.
Many have tried but none have been able to dethrone the king. Along the way, Verhoeven has vanquished fighters such as Badr Hari, Jamal Ben Saddik, Benjamin Adegbuyi, and many others.
After nearly a decade of holding the most illustrious title in kickboxing, many are beginning to wonder about his age and motivation. In a GLORY: COLLISION 6 press conference, Verhoeven responded that it is still his time. He said:
“There’s no ‘if.’ So, when I win, like I said, I’m not looking past this opponent or to what the future is going to hold, or forever, whatever is coming, because this is my main priority right now. So I’m focused on the fourth of November to put up an amazing fight and showcase I’m still the king. I’m here. It’s still my time. It’s still my era. Maybe his time will come but not the fourth of November.”
Tariq “Cookie” Osaro
The Dutch-Nigerian striker Tariq “Cookie” Osaro has put together an incredible 2023. First, the 28-year-old striker won a one-night tournament stopping all of his opponents by way of first-round knockout. He followed this up with a TKO victory, capturing an interim title, against Antonio Plazibat. Going into the November showdown, Osaro is confident in his power. He said:
“Like I always say, I come to throw bombs. I’ve got a left one. I’ve got a right one. If they go down, I win. If they still standing, we have a great fight. And in the end, I win. So for you to imagine or create your own imagination about how this fight is going down on the fourth of November.”
GLORY: COLLISION 6
Verhoeven is not bothered by these words. He responded that all of his opponents had power, and none of them could survive. The 34-year-old Verhoeven added:
“You know, the funny thing is, like his training partners, both said the same thing for the last ten years. They all said, ‘I’m here to throw bombs. I’m here to throw bombs.’ And, of course, some bombs hit, but for some kind of reason, the bombs don’t make it to the fifth round. So let’s see if this one can last.”
Rico Verhoeven vs. Tariq ‘Cookie’ Osaro is booked for Nov. 4 in the main event of GLORY: COLLISION 6 with the heavyweight crown on the line live from GelreDome in Arnhem, Netherlands.