Rico Verhoeven sparring Tyson Fury’s cousin for Oleksandr Usyk fight as he eyes history

Rico Verhoeven is confident he will make boxing history in his shock showdown with Oleksandr Usyk.

Dutch kickboxing icon Verhoeven has received the shot of a lifetime in the traditional boxing ranks.

AFP

He will take on unified champion and undefeated modern era icon Usyk in a shot for his WBC heavyweight title in Egypt in May.

Victory, in what is the first boxing show at the Pyramids of Giza, will represent a historic upset for the combat sports legend.

There has been much backlash at Verhoeven being fast-tracked for a shot at the belt, given Agit Kabayel is eagerly waiting in the wings.

And many believe Usyk will simply walk through the Dutchman, given he has had just one fight under Queensberry rules.

But Verhoeven is beaming with confidence and declared he is well positioned to upset the apple cart during an interview with talkSPORT.com.

He said: “It is a new challenge for me and I’m so excited.

“I’ve been world champion within my division of combat sports, but when I become champion in boxing I’ll make history.

“Yeah it’d be incredible, it could be one of the biggest upsets in sports history.

“What an opportunity we have, for me this is where I’m focused right now.”

Verhoeven’s camp and sparring Hughie Fury

Verhoeven is in his first high calibre traditional boxing camp, looking to turn over a new leaf in his stellar career.

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To his advantage, he will be trained by experienced Peter Fury for the clash.

Within the camp, he has been sparring with British heavyweight Hughie Fury.

And he believes Fury has helped him get to grips with the threats that boxers can pose.

“I’m especially happy for the sparring with Hughie Fury,” he continued.

“He is so experienced and he’s shown me all the angles of the shots.

“I’m super happy with it, finally now I can take everything in about boxing and what it has to offer.”

Verhoeven has very little natural experience in boxing but the pressure is off.

And he believes that his veteran status in another discipline will carry weight in the clash.

For Usyk, he will carry the expectation into the event, in what is believed to be one of three fights.

Boxing schedule

For all the upcoming fights and results this year, check out talkSPORT.com’s  boxing schedule.