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Former UFC superstar who destroyed Brock Lesnar has his say on Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven
Alastair Overeem is expecting quality action when the first bell finally sounds for Oleksandr Usyk’s world title defence against Rico Verhoeven this weekend.
A specialist combat fighter like Verhoeven, Overeem will be in Egypt to see if his fellow kickboxing specialist can cause one of the biggest upsets in boxing history when he faces the pound for pound superstar in only his second professional boxing bout.
DAZN FACE OFF: Usyk vs. Verhoeven
Watch dramatic clash here
In recent years, Usyk has proven to be the best heavyweight in the sport by quite the distance with a series of impressive wins over some of the sport’s most dangerous names.
In 2021, Usyk first became heavyweight champion when beating Anthony Joshua and he followed that up with another win over the British star before twice defeating both Daniel Dunois and Tyson Fury with success over the latter enabling him to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
Now, Usyk, who has several potentially dangerous threats waiting for him such as Agit Kabayel and Moses Itauma, must get past Verhoeven who is promising a grand performance despite his lack of experience.
Overeem, who destroyed Brock Lesnar in one round in 2011 during his UFC run, knows Verhoeven well and he believes he has attributes that he can use to his benefit on Saturday night.
“I’ll be honest, he is jumping in the deep end,” revealed Overeem when speaking exclusively to DAZN News .
“Let’s face it right, Usyk is on another level, but we should not count on Rico Verhoeven. He has shown time and time again, year in and year out, that he has a mindset that is unbreakable.
“His physical body is 125kg I saw on his Instagram the other day. He’s got the body, he’s got the weight, and if he is able to connect then that weight will factor in. His punches will do damage.
“I think it’s an exciting match-up. I like the undisputed angle. I also like him being the underdog. All in all, thank he boxing fans will love this and I’m also excited.”
Watch Usyk vs Verhoeven only on DAZN
Oleksandr Usyk puts his unbeaten record on the line against Rico Verhoeven on Saturday, May 23, in front of the Egyptian pyramids, live and exclusive on DAZN. Buy as a one-off PPV or included, along with Zayas vs. Ennis (June 27) PPV, with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
