Eddie Hearn Credits Rico Verhoeven Despite Being Huge Underdog vs Oleksandr Usyk

Roughly 4,600 years ago, the Great Pyramid of Giza was built. It was built for Khufu, the Pharaoh. Roughly six million tons of stone blocks were estimated to be used to construct the monument. Scientists still don't have a blueprint for exactly how it was achieved.

Much like the heavyweight title fight between Oleksandr Usyk and former world kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven, few understand how Saturday's fight happened.

Usyk continues to forge a generational fighting career. With wins over Tyson Fury, Daniel Dubois, and Derek Chisora, the unified champion is, in the view of many, making a case to be considered an all-time great. Now, standing in his way is Verhoeven, a decorated champion in his own discipline.

Most believe that Usyk will walk through the challenger. However, promoter Eddie Hearn, while speaking to IFL, believes that Verhoeven won't be an easy opponent

Hearn Believes that Rico Verhoeven will give Oleksandr Usyk a battle

With the eyes of the boxing world set on Egypt, the veteran promoter liked Verhoeven's chances of making a competitive fight.

“Like, anybody’s a big outsider against Usyk, but especially someone who’s not a professional boxer. I mean, he’s been at the top of his game in kickboxing, and to be fair, a lot of great fighters have come from a kickboxing code."

Verhoeven should not be rattled by the moment. With 16 title fights to his credit, facing champions will not faze him. At the same time, Hearn credits Verhoeven's internal fortitude.

"Listen, he’s alive in this fight because he’s a big lump and he can punch and he’s got big balls—but he is fighting one of the greatest fighters of all time, and he’s got a mountain to climb, and he’s going to have to do something spectacular. But look at the backdrop, and this is where spectacular things can happen."

Verhoeven stands 6-foot-5 and weighs between 250 and 265 pounds. As a result, he can punch based on his size. Is that enough to pull the biggest upset in boxing history? Probably not. However, those viewers want to see an exciting fight. The challenger must find a way to pressure the champion, but at the same time, Uysk's spatial awareness and footwork, mixed with counterpunching, make the task even more daunting.

In boxing, the term "puncher's chance" contains a specific meaning. Verhoeven may need to empty the metaphorical cupboard early, throwing Hail Mary punches for the expressed purpose of landing just one — a fight-ender that turns the sport on its ear.

Can the challenger secure the massive upset?

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