Rico Verhoeven has won his first kickboxing match in over a year. The heavyweight division was too strong for Hesdy Gerges, earning his sixteenth straight win.

From the third lap, Verhoeven made the difference: Gerges fell back eight seconds on this lap. At the end of the fifth round, the curtain fell on Gerges. In the end, Verhoeven won by TKO (technical knockout).

The fight did not take place under the flag of Glory, of which the 33-year-old Verhoeven has been champion since 2014. But from Hit It, a show event that was brought to life by Verhoeven himself. Tonight was the first edition at Rotterdam Ahoy.

It was Verhoeven’s first fight in more than a year. He has not played since October last year when he was too strong for Jamal Ben Saddik in a bloody match at Gelredome.

38-year-old Gerges ended his career by losing to Verhoeven. The Amsterdammer wasn’t the most appealing opponent for the world champion before. Because other Glory kickboxers were not allowed to participate in Verhoeven’s event, the flushing of possible opponents was thin.

Verhoeven will probably have to defend his title again at Glory in the spring. He has done this ten times successfully. An exact date and opponent are not yet known, which will probably be Alistair Overeem. Earlier this month it was still too strong for Badr Hari.

Michael Boogerd

Hit It combined dance and music performances with kickboxing matches from professional fighters and amateurs alike. Co-founder Verhoeven drew inspiration for the concept from the Super Bowl halftime show in American football.

Former cyclist Michael Boogerd, among others, climbed into the ring and won in a boxing duel on points from TV personality Dan Karaty.