Anthony Joshua has suggested that Rico Verhoeven has a “single-figure percentage chance” of beating Oleksandr Usyk, echoing the thoughts of Eddie Hearn.
At the pyramids of Giza on Saturday, unified heavyweight champion Usyk will defend the WBC title against Verhoeven, who is one of the greatest kickboxers of all time – but who has boxed professionally just once.
Verhoeven, whose sole boxing match was a knockout win in 2014, is naturally a huge underdog against Usyk, who is unbeaten as a professional. Usyk is also a former two-time undisputed heavyweight champion, a one-time undisputed cruiserweight champion, and an Olympic gold medalist.
Among his 24 pro wins are two points victories over Joshua, who recently befriended the Ukrainian and trained with him in Kyiv.
“So, what are we saying for this weekend, then?” Joshua asked Matchroom executives Hearn and Frank Smith in a DAZN video. “What’s the predictions, what’s it looking like?”
“I think this is the biggest mountain to climb for Rico Verhoeven,” said Hearn, who promotes Joshua. “I believe that… Listen, I can’t disrespect him, because he’s an unbelievable competitor, he’s a great athlete, he can punch.
“But I have to say: I would be astonished if he wins – respectfully. But [he could win] moments of rounds. Listen, you’re talking about… I give him single-figure percentage chance. Listen, he can punch.”
When Smith asked Joshua what percentage chance he would give Usyk, “AJ” replied: “Probably the same, you know – respectfully. Because, with boxing… I think Usyk will drain his gas tank.
“Let’s put it in this phrase for people who watch at home: let’s say you’re playing [the video game] Street Fighter and you’ve got your energy bars, I think Usyk knows how to make his energy just… He will just drain him, in my opinion.”
“He will be so tense[d] up,” Hearn said of Verhoeven. “But to be honest with you, and this is not really Usyk’s game – although he can punch, we saw that against [Daniel] Dubois and other people – I expect him… three or four rounds, I think he’ll knock him out.”
“I hope it goes four or more,” Joshua said, “because I want to enjoy a night of boxing.”
Usyk, 39, last fought in July, stopping Dubois for the second time to regain his status as the undisputed heavyweight champion. However, by vacating the WBO belt in November, the southpaw lost that status for the second time.
Still, Usyk holds the WBC, IBF and WBA belts. After this voluntary defence against Verhoeven, 37, he is expected to make a WBC mandatory defence, with Agit Kabayel the No 1 contender.
Of course, Dutchman Verhoeven could scupper those plans by pulling off a seismic upset in Egypt on Saturday.