Oleksandr Usyk will fight former kickboxing heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven for the WBC heavyweight title on May 23 in Egypt.
The fight, named “Glory in Giza”, will take place at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, marking the first time a heavyweight title fight will be held in the country.
Unified heavyweight champion Usyk’s last fight was a comprehensive fifth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in July, a victory that saw the 39-year-old become the second man to be a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion, after Muhammad Ali.
Verhoeven, 36, is a kickboxing legend, having gone over a decade without defeat in his sport. The Dutchman has one professional boxing bout on his record, a second round knockout win over Janos Finfera (0-6) in 2014. As a kickboxer, his record stands at 66-10, 21 KOs.
Verhoeven has fought in one professional boxing bout (Maurice van VAN Steen/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)
Usyk (24-0, 15KOs) said: “I truly respect people who reach the very top in their sport. Rico is one of them – a powerful athlete and a great champion. Being a champion isn’t just about belts.”
Verhoeven added: “I spent twelve years as the undisputed heavyweight kickboxing champion and accomplished everything I set out to accomplish. But staying at the top for that long didn’t take away from the hunger, it strengthened it.
“Usyk is the undisputed in boxing. That’s the kind of challenge that motivated me. Undisputed versus undisputed.”
The fight will be streamed live on DAZN.
‘A fight that will leave many fans scratching their heads’
The news that Usyk will be putting his WBC title on the line against a kickboxer is somewhat baffling.
Following the Ukrainian’s win over Dubois, he maintained he wanted “two or three more fights” before retiring. In December there was talk of the first of those coming against American heavyweight and former WBC champion Deontay Wilder, but at the end of January it was announced that Wilder would be fighting British boxer Derek Chisora instead, leaving Usyk to look elsewhere.
British heavyweight Fabio Wardley had hoped he might get that opportunity but when that did not materialise, he signed to fight Dubois leaving Usyk to go his own way; one that will leave many fight fans scratching their heads.
At this stage of his storied career Usyk has undoubtedly earned the right to choose, but despite the precedent set by Tyson Fury’s “crossover” fight against MMA heavyweight Francis Ngannou in 2023, few would have imagined he would select this path, against a fighter who has only been in a professional boxing ring once, and that was 12 years ago.
There is a possibility that this fight is a “bit of fun” (if you can ever call boxing that) for Usyk before more serious business recommences.
Earlier this month the WBC announced that Usyk (who vacated the WBO belt after his win over Dubois but still holds the Ring, IBF, WBA, and WBC titles) must defend his titles against German boxer Agit Kabayel – their interim belt-holder – after making a voluntary defence.
Enter Verhoeven. And the Pyramids of Giza. Boxing, eh.