Usyk, Verhoeven and a Couple of Pyramids
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Can Rico Verhoeven really become heavyweight champion with just one boxing fight?
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Sunset. The desert, two giant pyramids, loads of lights shining down on a 22-foot square ring. In one corner, Oleksandr Usyk, the untouchable, generational heavyweight great. In the opposite corner, Rico Verhoeven. A generational great kickboxer. What a fight. May 23rd it is, but I've sat down with a pair of them. I'm Steve Bunce and this is Five Live Boxing. So when you get together for a world heavyweight title fight, and I use that, you know, a few question marks around that, but it doesn't matter. It's a world heavyweight champion fighting somebody who's a world heavyweight champion in his arena. We do these interviews in funny places, odd locations. But you have to start, the only way you start is with the promoter of the show.
Now, Eddie Hearn is promoted in various places, but he's never promoted in the sand, in the shadow of the pyramids. That's because no one's ever promoted in the sand and in the shadow of the pyramids. Ed, I'm deeply interested in, have you seen the floor plan for this?
Yes, I mean, I'd like to say that, obviously, if it was me, you know, this is in partnership with Ring Magazine and Turkella Shake, et cetera. If I was doing a show by the pyramids, we'd get there and you'd go, where are the pyramids? And I would say, look, if you look... right there in the distance, you can just see one of the... This is at the foot of the pyramid. This is right in the middle. And actually, the kind of AI-generated sort of production-scaled sites and images that I've seen are... It's going to be... It's a chuckler. Yeah, but Times Square was really interesting, and obviously the plans of Alcatraz and stuff like that, but this is... You're talking about a global landmark that is quite breathtaking in itself.
Put a boxing ring there, put the World Heavyweight Championship there, put a great undercard there as well, and I think it's going to be something we'll never forget.
Might we go on a global sights tour? Yeah, possibly.
I mean, anything's possible. The way things are going, why not? Why not? Great for boxing. Yeah. Because it seems to be the only sport that's doing stuff like that. So, you know, I think we're all sort of riding on the wave of it and we look forward to an incredible event in Egypt.
Ed, I will ask you specifically about Big Rico and Alexander Usyk, a fighter you know very well, but I've got to address some of the things from this last weekend, the last few weeks, because it was quite... Well, it was great drama, bad drama, quite uplifting, quite ridiculous. I'm not sure where to start, but I will start, first of all, with your position at ringside, five or six feet from Connor Ben's corner, sitting next to Chris Eubank Jr. Now, who arranged that?
Who arranged that? No, do you know what's weird? He was actually... The seating arrangement was me... AJ Chris Eubank jr. Yeah, and Chris just come and sat next to me I mean didn't say anything but I didn't do I didn't actually think too much of it But then you sort of pick up social and it's like oh my god, that's fine Eddie Ernst sitting next to Chris Eubank So yeah, it was it was an interesting dynamic.
Did he talk to you?
Didn't talk to you. I was trying to so I said I said to him I congratulations on the birth of your children. And he looked at me and nodded. I went, good chat. And then when he left after the fire, he was talking to Asia and he said, See you later, AJ, take care. And I was right there. I thought, I wonder if I'll get a goodbye. It's going to be me next. And I didn't. And then as he walked off, AJ went, Chris, Eddie said goodbye.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Can Rico Verhoeven really become heavyweight champion with just one boxing fight?
0:00–6:07
2
What makes Oleksandr Usyk a generational heavyweight champion?
6:07–7:21
3
How is the fight being promoted under the pyramids of Egypt?
7:21–12:09
4
What challenges does Rico Verhoeven face in transitioning from kickboxing to boxing?
12:09–17:05
5
What insights does Eddie Hearn provide about the upcoming fight?
17:05–22:28
6
How do both fighters prepare mentally and physically for the match?
22:28–28:04
7
What are the implications of this fight for the heavyweight boxing landscape?
28:04–34:02
8
What final thoughts do the guests share about the significance of this fight?
34:02–35:24