Usyk defends his throne at the pyramids against kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven
Michael Huezo
Host · Writer
CAIRO, Egypt — On Saturday, May 23, the sport of boxing will stage one of its most visually striking events in years. In the shadow of the Pyramids of Giza, Oleksandr Usyk will put his WBC heavyweight title on the line against Rico Verhoeven, the most decorated kickboxer on the planet. The setting is spectacular. The matchup is fascinating. The outcome, for most observers, feels predetermined.
Usyk arrives in Egypt as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, a title he unified by twice defeating Tyson Fury. He is widely regarded as one of the finest boxers of his generation and at 37 years old, the Ukrainian southpaw has nothing left to prove and everything to protect.
Verhoeven, also 37, carries his own form of legend into this fight, just not the boxing kind. The Dutch heavyweight is the undisputed king of GLORY Kickboxing, holding a 28-1 record within the organization and a professional kickboxing record of 66-10 with 21 knockouts. He is, by any measure, one of the most accomplished combat sports athletes of his era. The problem is that May 23 will only be his second professional boxing match.
His first, and only, came over twelve years ago against Janos Finfera, whom he stopped in the second round. Since then, the boxing ring has remained foreign territory. Verhoeven has spent the months leading into this fight trying to change that, training under Peter Fury to sharpen his boxing-specific technique. The focus has been on transitioning away from kickboxing's upright, square stance toward a lower, more bladed guard, developing cleaner combinations, and building the kind of head movement and footwork that elite boxing demands.
Whether those adjustments are enough is the central question. Critics have noted that rewiring the mechanics of a lifelong kickboxer for the highest level of boxing competition in such a short amount of time is an enormous ask. Verhoeven himself acknowledges his camp has emphasized combination work and lateral movement, but long-term habits are stubborn, and Usyk is not the kind of opponent who will allow an athlete time to find their rhythm.
Adding a layer of intrigue to the event is a belt controversy that has split the major sanctioning bodies. The WBC has placed its title on the line in full, meaning Verhoeven could legitimately walk away as heavyweight champion if he produces a seismic upset.
The WBA has taken a different position though. An Usyk victory counts as a successful title defense, but the challenger cannot claim the belt even if he wins, with a committee set to determine next steps in that scenario. The IBF's stance is the starkest of all. Verhoeven cannot win that title either, but if Usyk loses, the IBF heavyweight championship is immediately declared vacant. For Usyk, the risk is not just personal legacy. It is organizational.
Verhoeven is not without tools. At 6-foot-5 and over 270 pounds, he is bigger than Usyk and possesses legitimate power. His connection with Tyson Fury, who he credits with developing his jab, speaks to a fighter who has sought out serious boxing mentorship rather than treating this as a novelty appearance.
But Usyk is a different problem entirely. He moves, pivots, and counters at a level that has given the best boxers in the world trouble. Verhoeven will not be able to rely on kicks to create distance or disrupt timing. Every adjustment he has made in camp will be tested from the first bell.
Saturday night in Egypt, a kickboxing legend steps into the hardest test of his combat sports life. Usyk has seen it all. Verhoeven is about to find out why. Whether it ends in a coronation or a cautionary tale about the limits of crossover ambition, Usyk vs. Verhoeven will be hard to look away from.
