They looked deep into each other’s eyes for more than a minute and a half, Rico Verhoeven and world boxing champion Oleksandr Oesyk. With one last they concluded a week full of media moments in Egypt for a remarkable and extremely lucrative fight.

“I saw determination in his eyes, nothing else,” Verhoeven said a little later in the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo. “I’m coming to take away something that has been his for years and he doesn’t want that to happen.”

The former kickboxing champion from Brabant will compete against the undefeated Ukrainian on Saturday around midnight. Oesyk is a great in his sport and is seen as one of the best boxers this century.

The fight at the foot of the iconic pyramids of Giza, where a small open-air stadium has been built in recent days, will attract a global audience of millions.

Oesyk will reportedly receive 100 million dollars (86 million euros). Verhoeven has to make do with about 20 million dollars; much more than he boxed together in all those years as a kickboxer.

Verhoeven is therefore seen as an underdog by the bookmakers, due to his lack of experience as a boxer. Anyone who bets one euro on the Dutchman will get ten back if he manages to win.

The fact that the former kickboxer can immediately compete for the world title upon his entry into the boxing world was not welcomed everywhere.

Of the three associations of which Oesyk is champion, only the WBC considers it a title fight. If Verhoeven wins, he will only receive one championship belt. If he loses, Oesyk will retain his WBA title, while the IBO – the third association – will make the title vacant if the Ukrainian loses.

Oesyk said he takes Verhoeven very seriously as an opponent. “He is dangerous, a real fighter. I am not standing here relaxed. This is not an e. I am 100 percent concentrated.”

The WBC title is the most prestigious. If he wins, Verhoeven will join an illustrious list that includes Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Larrry Holmes, Lennox Lewis, George Foreman and Evander Holyfield.

“All I can say is that we are going to make history,” Verhoeven said at the foot of the pyramids. “Egypt is a beautiful country, with such a long history. We are going to add a tiny part to that.”

“2026 will be the first and perhaps last year with a boxing match at the pyramids. I’m going to enjoy it.”