Usyk to defend title against kickboxer in Egypt

Oleksandr Usyk will return to the ring in May when he defends his WBC heavyweight title against former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

Two-time undisputed heavyweight champion Usyk, who holds the WBA, WBC and IBF belts, has not fought since stopping Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in July.

In a bout organisers have dubbed the ‘Glory in Giza’, 36-year-old Dutch heavyweight Verhoeven will be boxing for the first time since 2014 when he faces Usyk on 23 May.

“I truly respect people who reach the very top in their sport,” said Usyk, who is unbeaten across his 24 professional bouts.

“Rico is one of them – a powerful athlete and a great champion.

“Being a champion isn’t just about belts. It’s about years of hard work, discipline and belief.

“I respect his journey – he’s truly the King of Kickboxing. But this is boxing – a different game, with its own rules and its own kings.

Verhoeven had 76 fights and 66 wins in his kickboxing career before announcing his departure from the sport in November.

“I spent 12 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 the hunger, it strengthened it,” said Verhoeven.

“I wasn’t looking for comfort, so I started looking for the highest challenge available in another world.

This is a world heavyweight title fight in the shadow of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – a backdrop so spectacular it almost distracts from how extraordinary, and frankly bizarre, the contest itself is.

Details of the fight’s location are light, other than that it will be “under the shadow of ancient giants”.

But no matter the location, this will be a mammoth mismatch. And that is not said lightly during a time that has already given us Anthony Joshua v Jake Paul. At least that was framed as spectacle. This is for the WBC heavyweight title.

Verhoeven had been loosely linked with a bout against Joshua before the Briton’s car crash in December. But there is a vast difference between a crossover curiosity and a sanctioned world-title challenge against a pound-for-pound great.

Usyk may be running out of credible dance partners, which perhaps explains it. But the heavyweight cupboard is not bare. He vacated his WBO title rather than face Fabio Wardley, while Agit Kabayel’s name has been repeatedly mentioned by fans craving a live, unbeaten contender with momentum. Instead, we are handed a boxing novice.

Tyson Fury was dropped and pushed to the brink by boxing debutant Francis Ngannou in 2023, who came close to one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight history. So anything can happen in the ring, of course, but someone as methodical and disciplined as Usyk is unlikely to repeat Fury’s errors.