Usyk Set To Defend World Heavyweight Title Vs. Rico Verhoeven

Unified Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk (WBA, WBC and IBF) is set to defend his WBC heavyweight title against former kickboxing heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven on May 23 in Egypt, which will mark Usyk’s first professional bout in North Africa.

After beating Daniel Dubois in July 2025—which saw Usyk crowned undisputed heavyweight champion for the second time—Usyk vacated his WBO belt rather than box his mandatory challenger, Fabio Wardley. A clash with Deontay Wilder fell through after “The Bronze Bomber” agreed to box Derek Chisora on April 4, stating that the Ukrainian was taking “too long” to negotiate.

At 36, Verhoeven returns to the boxing ring for the first time since his lone professional boxing bout in 2014, in which he knockout out Janos Finfera in the second round of a 4-round bout. Despite his limited boxing resume, the WBC has officially approved Verhoeven as a legitimate challenger. Verhoeven’s reputation was built in the GLORY kickboxing ring, where he held the heavyweight belt for 11 years, with 13 title defenses. He closed his kickboxing career last November after vacating his title and reportedly turning down a UFC contract to pursue boxing. The fight will take place under the traditional 12-round championship format.