Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk will defend his WBC heavyweight title against former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven on Saturday, May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, it was announced Friday by His Excellency Turki Alalshikh and Ring Magazine. The event, branded “Glory in Giza,” will stream globally and exclusively on DAZN.
The bout marks the first professional boxing event held at the ancient Egyptian landmark and the first time Usyk, who has fought across seven countries during his career, will compete in North Africa.
Usyk Continues Heavyweight Reign
Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) returns to the ring for the first time since his comprehensive fifth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois in July 2025, a fight that saw him reclaim the undisputed heavyweight championship. The 39-year-old Ukrainian had previously unified the division with back-to-back victories over Tyson Fury in Riyadh in 2024 — a split-decision win followed by a unanimous-decision triumph in the rematch.
With the WBO title since vacated, Usyk enters the Verhoeven fight as the WBC, WBA, and IBF heavyweight champion. A fight with Deontay Wilder had been widely discussed, but Wilder opted to face Derek Chisora instead, leaving Usyk to pursue an unconventional challenge.
“I truly respect people who reach the very top in their sport,” Usyk said in a statement. “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: A Kickboxing Legend Steps Into Boxing
Verhoeven, 36, is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers in the history of the sport. The Dutchman held the Glory Kickboxing heavyweight title for over 4,200 days — more than 11 consecutive years — and compiled a record of 66-10 with 21 knockouts across 76 professional kickboxing bouts. He holds Glory records for most wins in title bouts (14), most consecutive title defenses (13), most wins overall (28), and the longest winning streak (27).
Verhoeven made his final kickboxing defense in June 2025, defeating former two-time Glory light heavyweight champion Artem Vakhitov by unanimous decision at Glory 100. He announced his departure from the sport the following November.
His boxing experience, however, is limited. Verhoeven’s lone professional boxing bout came in April 2014, a second-round knockout of Janos Finfera at Mix Fight Gala XV in Darmstadt, Germany. He also holds a 1-0 MMA record, finishing Viktor Bogutzki by first-round TKO in 2015. But he has not competed under professional boxing rules in nearly twelve years.
“I spent twelve years as the undisputed heavyweight kickboxing champion and accomplished everything I set out to accomplish,” Verhoeven said. “But staying at the top for that long didn’t take away the hunger, it strengthened it. I wasn’t looking for comfort, so I started looking for the highest challenge available in another world. Usyk is undisputed in boxing. That’s the kind of challenge that motivates me. Undisputed versus undisputed. The best facing the best.”
A Historic Setting for a Crossover Bout
The Pyramids of Giza location adds spectacle to a fight that already carries considerable novelty. Boxing has a long history of staging major events in unconventional settings — from the “Rumble in the Jungle” in Kinshasa in 1974 to the “Thrilla in Manila” a year later — but this marks the first time a world title fight will take place at one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
For Usyk, the crossover nature of the bout invites comparisons to Floyd Mayweather’s 2017 fight against UFC star Conor McGregor, another contest that pitted boxing’s establishment against an elite fighter from a different discipline. The difference here is that the WBC heavyweight title — the most prestigious prize in the sport’s marquee division — will be on the line, lending legitimacy the Mayweather-McGregor bout did not carry.
Further details, including ticket information and the undercard, are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. As reported by ESPN, the fight will be the latest in a series of ambitious boxing events orchestrated by Alalshikh, who has rapidly become the most influential figure in the sport’s global landscape.
Whether “Glory in Giza” produces a competitive fight or a one-sided showcase for Usyk, it promises to be one of the most visually striking events in boxing history — and another chapter in the career of a champion who has left remarkably few boxes unchecked.
