CAIRO – Matchroom Boxing CEO Eddie Hearn isn’t entirely ruling out Rico Verhoeven’s chances of pulling off an all-time upset vs. Oleksandr Usyk.
Former GLORY Kickboxing champion Verhoeven (1-0) takes on undisputed boxing heavyweight champion Usyk (24-0) on Saturday (DAZN) in front of the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
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Caesars Sportsbook has Usyk as high as a -5000 favorite, which gives Verhoeven little to no chance in the oddsmakers’ eyes. Hearn knows it’s a tall task for Verhoeven, especially after watching Anthony Joshua train with Usyk.
“The fight on paper is an impossible mountain to climb for Rico Verhoeven,” Hearn said during Thursday’s press conference. “No, I’ll re-phrase that: for the normal man. But the reason that he’s accomplished what he’s accomplished and the reason he’s done what he’s done is because he’s not a normal man. Oleksandr Usyk is one of the greatest not just fighters of our generation, but greatest examples to any young fighter, to any young athlete in terms of the work ethic and the mindset. I thank (Oleksandr) and his team for allowing AJ (Joshua) into that camp because what I’ve seen up close is the reason that he’s undefeated, the reason he’s still top of the game.
“Tomorrow night, this guy (Verhoeven), this giant of a man whose arms are like the normal man’s thighs, has an opportunity to, let’s be honest, forge one of the greatest upsets in the history of boxing. It might not be to him, but it will be on paper if he was to do it. He’s coming in not just to fight the best in the division; he’s coming in to fight the pound-for-pound No. 1. But I’ll tell you something: If there was ever anything dramatic, ever anything strange to happen, it’s going to happen at the foot of the Pyramids in Egypt. So, it’s a mountain to climb for this man, but I’ll tell you what: He is a mountain. He’s a man mountain, and he’s full of heart, he’s full of power, and I know how bad he wants it.”
Verhoeven is one of the most decorated kickboxers of all time but has just one professional boxing bout to his name – a second-round knockout win over Janos Finfera in 2014.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Oleksandr Usyk an ‘impossible mountain to climb’ for Rico Verhoeven
