Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs), the two-time undisputed heavyweight champion, will face long-time kickboxing world ruler Verhoeven in Giza, Egypt on May 23 in the main event of "Glory in Giza."

The 36-year-old from Halsteren, Netherlands, has not boxed since his professional debut back in April 2014, when he stopped 0-5 Janos Finfera in Darmstadt, Germany. Unsurprisingly bookmakers are not giving him much of a chance against Usyk, who is a 1/25 favourite.

But Overeem, who was once scheduled to face Verhoeven for his Glory heavyweight title in October 2021, believes his fellow countryman has the size advantages to make it a tough night for Usyk.

“Firstly I think this move into boxing is beautiful,” Overeem told The Ring.

“To move into a new sport and challenge the No. 1 - I love that attitude.

“The question is, where is he at? Because in kickboxing nobody could really give him any difficulty. So he has decided to put it all on the line against Usyk and he can cause problems.

“He has the height and he has the weight against Usyk and the team will be working on a plan. This is a fight that both men need to win, nobody is just going to show up for the sake of it. That’s the beauty of this match.”

Verhoeven is considered one of the greatest kickboxers of all time after reigning as world heavyweight champion for 12 years before he vacated the belt in November.

But fellow combat sports legend Overeem, who first met him during a training camp back in 2012, believes Verhoeven’s legacy is known for being steady if not spectacular.

“He has a nice record,” Overeem added. “Undefeated Glory champion for so long.

“But if there was any criticism of Rico beforehand it was that his fights were deemed not super spectacular. Also because the heavyweight division was kind of shallow he didn’t always have the biggest tests.

“In the kickboxing matches his problem was that he wasn’t really knocking everybody out. There were some knockouts, don't get me wrong, but there's not that many.

“He was never known as the knockout guy, he was more about volume and the speed. Again, it’s a whole different ballpark when it's only boxing, only punches and against someone like Usyk. So they're going to have to figure something out to make sure they make the most of his assets and advantages. They will do their homework on that.”

After more than a decade worrying about kicks, knees and punches during matches, Verhoeven will now have to defend himself against only Usyk’s fists. Regardless, Overeem believes a boxing match with Usyk is far more dangerous than what Verhoeven is used to.

“Boxers punch harder,” he added. “Significantly harder.

“Also he has to do this over 12 rounds so you’re going to sustain far more damage than in a kickboxing match, which is five three-minute rounds.

“So this will be as much a cardio thing as anything else. Anyway you look at this, it’s a step up for Rico.

“Yes there are no kicks and there are no knees but over the years nobody could really challenge Rico. He just had his game plan so down that he was just cruise controlling. For him there have been no challenges, but this will be one.

“But he has a high pace and he has a lot of speed. He has certain combinations that are unorthodox. He's going to land his shots and he understands the pacing of the fight; he knows when to slow the pace down, pick the pace up.

“But Rico is also clever in game planning and I know they will be watching the tapes now, working out their game plan. It’s a huge test, it’s not a 50-50 fight, but maybe an 80-20 in Usyk’s favor.”