Usyk will face a tough challenge in his boxing match against Verhoeven, says strongman Eddie Hall
Eddie Hall, winner of the ‘World’s Strongest Man 2017’ competition, has spoken out about the upcoming fight between Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk and Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven. Hall made these comments in an interview with Ariel Helwani.
Hall described Verhoeven as a very dangerous opponent and noted that even well-known fighters would not want to face him in kickboxing.
“To be honest, he’s the scariest person on the planet. Even top fighters say they wouldn’t want to fight him in kickboxing. I’ve seen it in his eyes,” he said.
According to him, Verhoeven will be a serious problem for Usyk.
“If there’s one person you don’t want to fight, it’s Rico Verhoeven. He’s a real fighter. I think Usyk is in for a shock. It’ll be a huge problem for him,” added Hall.
The fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven is scheduled for 23 May. The bout will take place in Egypt.
Bookmakers consider the Ukrainian boxer the favourite. The odds on his victory stand at 1.04, whilst the odds on Verhoeven’s victory are 14.00. A draw is priced at 21.00.
The bout will be contested under boxing rules. At stake is the WBC heavyweight title, currently held by Oleksandr Usyk.
The Ukrainian’s last fight was in July 2025, when he knocked out Daniel Dubois to become undisputed world champion for the third time in his career.
In professional boxing, Usyk has 24 wins from 24 fights, 15 of which ended in knockouts.
Rico Verhoeven competes in kickboxing and has fought 76 bouts, winning 66 of them. His last defeat came in January 2015, after which he has gone on a 22-fight winning streak.
