Rico Verhoeven will attempt to pull off a monumental upset, quite possibly the greatest of all time, when he collides with Oleksandr Usyk this Saturday.
There is a reason why the Ukrainian is still considered the supreme ruler of his division, if not his entire sport, as he approaches the closing chapter of his illustrious career.
It is not necessarily due to his talent, but rather a wealth of experience, that has seen him perform to a consistently high standard over the past decade.
When considering his decorated amateur career, too, it is hardly surprising that we still speak of Usyk as if he is some kind of celestial being.
So what chance, then, does Verhoeven have at toppling this generational great in this weekend's crossover bout?
In short, the reality is that he has little more than a cat in hell’s chance; but perhaps a better question might be: can the Dutchman produce an impressive-enough performance to justify any future fights in a professional boxing ring?
The answer to that remains unclear, given the accomplished kickboxer - who has reigned as GLORY heavyweight champion for over 12 years - is entering only his second ever professional boxing match.
His first arrived in 2014, when ‘The King of Kickboxing’ scored a second-round finish over Janos Finfera, who subsequently retired with an almost comical record of 0-6.
It is therefore difficult to glean anything from his debut, which probably saw Verhoeven get clipped by a total of two, maybe three, cuffing shots.
If we are to dissect this one-sided fight, however, it could be said that Verhoeven, to his credit, was able to throw his jab and right hand with relative fluidity.
He also displayed solid-enough footwork to create a series of angles, albeit against a limited opponent who was pretty much there for the taking.
Whenever he was made to work on the inside, though, Verhoeven would show an alarming lack of defensive nous, which is something a crafty southpaw like Usyk should exploit within a couple minutes of their encounter.
While a boxer with limited experience may seem competent on the outside - flicking out a jab and sending their right hand down the pipe - it is often the case that their weaknesses are exposed at close quarters, where only the most skilled operators are able to break down their opponents.
They do this by launching attacks from angles that others fail to identify, essentially manipulating their opponent’s blind side while trading in the pocket.
And this, surely, is what Usyk will aim to achieve against Verhoeven, whose unorthodox style is likely to be neutralised by the 39-year-old’s ability to process information at lightning speed.
It then becomes a case of whether Verhoeven can survive more than a few rounds of punishment and, better yet, land a few shots of his own.
If he does so, then the 37-year-old could potentially enter another lucrative crossover fight, giving head coach Peter Fury more time to iron out any defensive frailties.
On this occasion, though, it is difficult to envision anything but an Usyk stoppage victory, especially with Verhoeven having been dropped multiple times throughout his kickboxing career.
At which point, Turki Alalshikh may begin to regret the day he took advice from actor Jason Statham, who is essentially responsible for bringing the 6ft 5in kickboxer to Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza.
