Usyk vs Verhoeven: Oleksandr Usyk to defend WBC title at Pyramids as Rico Verhoeven makes shock switch
Oleksandr Usyk will return to the ring in May to defend his WBC heavyweight title against kickboxing legend rico verhoeven, a move that has turned a world title bout into one of the most unusual heavyweight events of the year. The fight, billed as "Glory in Giza, " is scheduled for 23 May at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt and will be livestreamed.
Rico Verhoeven: a kickboxing great stepping into boxing
Rico Verhoeven, the 36-year-old Dutch heavyweight, is making a high-profile transition from kickboxing to boxing for this challenge. Verhoeven had 76 kickboxing fights with 66 wins prior to announcing his departure from the sport in November. His kickboxing ledger is commonly cited as 66-10 with 21 stoppages, and he spent 12 years as the undisputed heavyweight kickboxing champion. Verhoeven has sparred with prominent heavyweight names and had one professional boxing bout in 2014, which he won by knockout. He framed the Usyk fight as his highest-available challenge: the move is being pitched as undisputed versus undisputed in their respective codes.
Oleksandr Usyk's status and recent ring history
Usyk arrives unbeaten across 24 professional bouts and as a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion who holds the WBA, WBC and IBF belts. He has not fought since stopping Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in July, a win that is recorded as a fifth-round knockout. Over the last four years Usyk has logged six wins, including two wins apiece over Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois.
Logistics and spectacle: Glory in Giza under the ancient giants
The event is being staged at the Pyramids of Giza and is described as taking place "under the shadow of ancient giants, " though details about the precise setup at the site remain light. Promoters have framed the bout as the first world heavyweight title fight in Egypt; it will be streamed live to a global audience. The backdrop is intended to amplify the spectacle, but many observers see the setting as a distractor from the unconventional nature of the matchup.
Division dynamics: matchmaking, vacancies and reactions
Questions have been raised about matchmaking at the top of the heavyweight division. Usyk vacated his WBO title in November instead of facing Fabio Wardley, and fans have mentioned Agit Kabayel as an unbeaten contender with momentum. Wardley, a 31-year-old British heavyweight, is scheduled to defend the WBO title against Daniel Dubois on 9 May in Manchester and has expressed disappointment at the Usyk–Verhoeven pairing, suggesting he does not view it as a genuine challenge.
Context and precedent: spectacle vs sport
The Usyk–Verhoeven booking follows a trend of high-profile crossover and spectacle fights. Verhoeven had been loosely linked with a bout against Anthony Joshua before the Briton's car crash in December. The current matchup has been compared to other spectacle events—most notably a recent headline bout between Anthony Joshua and a social-media crossover opponent in Miami that was streamed globally to roughly 300 million subscribers—underscoring a debate over sporting legitimacy versus entertainment value.
Risk assessment and what to watch on 23 May
On paper this is a mammoth mismatch: a methodical, disciplined, unbeaten boxing elite champion versus a decorated but largely untested boxer. Tyson Fury provides a cautionary example after he was dropped and pushed to the brink by boxing debutant Francis Ngannou in 2023, which nearly produced one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight history. That episode illustrates that unconventional opponents can present real danger, but observers note that Usyk's style and discipline make a repeat of Fury's errors unlikely.
The fight is set for 23 May and will carry the WBC heavyweight title at stake. Fans and pundits will be watching not only for the in-ring outcome but for the broader signals the card sends about matchmaking priorities, the appetite for spectacle at world-title level, and how Usyk and Rico Verhoeven are positioned afterward.
