Eddie Hall predicts ‘scariest man on the planet’ Rico Verhoeven will shock Oleksandr Usyk

One in every of kickboxing’s all-time greats will jump straight into the boxing deep end on May 23.

On that date, Rico Verhoeven will make his only his second skilled appearance in the game after bidding farewell to Glory Kickboxing following a 12-year heavyweight title reign.

Many wanted Verhoeven to sign with the UFC, however the Dutchman turned down a possible debut against Derrick Lewis in January and later agreed to bring his striking talents to the boxing realm as an alternative.

There won’t be a probability to warm up, as Verhoeven challenges Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC heavyweight title. Not many are giving the boxing novice a probability, but Eddie Hall has warned people against counting him out.

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Eddie Hall thinks Rico Verhoeven could beat Oleksandr Usyk of their boxing match

Usyk will fight Verhoeven in Egypt, with the pair’s contest on the Pyramids on May 23 dubbed ‘Glory in Giza’.

The booking has been a polarizing one attributable to Verhoeven’s boxing inexperience, but Hall doesn’t expect that to forestall the ‘King of Kickboxing’ from pulling off an almighty upset.

“I believe Rico’s going to surprise a number of people,” Hall said during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show.

“Win or lose, he’s going to shock the world. Everyone has written him off.”

The retired strongman, who won the 2017 World’s Strongest Man competition, has been competing in combat sports lately.

Hall knocked out Mariusz Pudzianowski in MMA and lost to Thor Bjornsson in his first boxing match. Amid his fighting exploits, the Englishman has been capable of see Verhoeven up close within the gym.

“I actually have had the privilege to spend quite a little bit of time with Rico,” he continued. “I’ve trained with Rico, been to observe his fights at ringside. He has got to be, hand on heart, probably the most frightening person on the planet.

“I believe Rico is the scariest man on the planet, hands down. If there’s one man on the planet you wouldn’t wish to fight, it’s Rico Verhoeven. He’s a foul motherf—-.

“one hundred pc he has a probability. I truthfully think Rico goes to be a giant, big problem for Usyk,” Hall added. “Rico’s not going to box him, he’s just going to attack him. Boxers aren’t used to that.

“Usyk’s in for a shock.”

While Hall can have his eyes on Verhoeven’s probability to shock the world next month, he can be deep into preparations for his next outing.

Hall will box Tommy Fury on June 13 in a match that is predicted to have a size difference of around 120 kilos.

After that, there’s talk of a possible MMA clash with ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou, a bout that was also on the table for Verhoeven before the Usyk match was made official.