Usyk v Verhoeven: Eddie Hearn's Take
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What challenge does Rico Verhoeven pose to Oleksandr Usyk?
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Let's eetuillaan, se lupauksemme on. Elisa etuhinta aina edullinen on.
Elisalta puhelimet ja muut laitteet jopa kolmen vuoden maksuajalla, ilman korkoja ja kuluja.
Puhelimia ja kaikenlaisia laitteita. On etuhinnat Elisan ain edullisia.
This is Five Live Boxing. On the ground finally in Cairo. It's a special fight week. And the pyramids, they're everywhere. And they take your breath away. You're in a taxi. You turn a corner. Bosh, three big pyramids. You're sitting down to have some lunch by the pool. You look over your shoulder. Bosh, there's some pyramids. You're on your balcony having a little snooze and a reeve. There they are, the giant pyramids. They are very special. And we've got two kings of the ring. Rico Verhoeven, the king of kickboxing. Oleksandr Usyk, the king of traditional boxing. We'll hear from both of them. And a special guest at the end of this particular pod. But I start, as is tradition when it's five weeks, with the promoter.
Eddie Hearn sits down with me. We drink coffee and we talk about promoting in Egypt and the fight. I'm Steve Bunce and this is Five Live Boxing. Eddie, we've been in some fine locations. We've been in some horrible locations. I'm trying to think if we've ever had a better backdrop than we're going to have on Saturday night when the moon's up there, a crescent moon, the neon. The pyramid's lit and two men walk into the ring. It's not bad, is it? I think people are actually not realising the spectacle that you're about to see on Saturday. I think that's a culmination of the madness of boxing and just the efforts that people are going to now to operate outside the norm and the box. And I like to think we've done that over the years.
This is another level. I mean, I'll be honest with you, there's a lot of work to be done. I went to the venue last night. And Frank Smith's over there pulling his hair out. And the rest of your team out here, it's been so hard. Because remember when we did the Clash of the Dunes, AJ Ruiz 2 in Diriyah in Saudi Arabia? That was built on sand, which is exactly the same as this show on Saturday. Two days out of Clash of the Dunes in Diriyah compared to two days out here made Diria look like the Millennium Stadium, ready to go. I mean, there is a lot of work to do. We will be banging in nails at 5 or 6pm on Saturday, as people are coming in. But that's what happens when you push the boundaries, and you will see on Saturday, I mean, look, it'll be a great night of boxing, but visually, it will be incredible.
I mean, some of the bureaucracy attached, we knew there'd be all sorts of bureaucracy, and I've seen your team working flat out, I've seen everybody else working flat out, but inevitably, inevitably, It does happen. It does somehow fall into place. No one knows how, but it does fall into place. Especially when you go and look at it now. You just think, how? I mean, it's like preparing a house for a viewing and literally two days out, there's no carpet down, there's no floorboards down, and then all of a sudden you rock up on Saturday and you've got this pristine property ready to sell. So don't worry, we'll be fine. There's another couple of don't worry, we'll be fine before we talk about the fight itself.
What's the situation with the three belts, the WBC, the WBA and the IBF? What's your understanding of what the outcome will be either way? Yeah, my understanding is that the belts are on the line for the championship. I believe maybe one organisation says, we're not sanctioning the fight, but you will remain champion. Maybe the IBF, I think. I believe so, yeah. Do you know what? I think there's really good arguments each way, if I'm honest with you. I don't think Rico Verhoeven, as a boxer, obviously in terms of his CV, because he doesn't have one, has earned the right to fight for the World Heavyweight Championship. But... I also understand this is a guy that, you know, kickboxing, I know it's not boxing, but it's different to being a judo.
You look at the actual world champions that started their career in kickboxing.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What challenge does Rico Verhoeven pose to Oleksandr Usyk?
0:00–5:34
2
How is the fight being promoted in Egypt?
5:34–10:45
3
What insights does Eddie Hearn provide about the venue?
10:45–12:06
4
What is the situation with the championship belts for the fight?
12:06–13:41
5
How does Eddie Hearn assess Rico Verhoeven's boxing skills?
13:41–16:27
6
What makes Oleksandr Usyk a formidable opponent?
16:27–35:04