Usyk Faces Kickboxer in Egypt
Undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk will defend his WBC title in May against Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in Egypt. The bout marks Verhoeven's professional boxing debut after a dominant kickboxing career. Usyk, unbeaten in pro boxing, continues to pursue legacy-defining challenges across combat sports.
Rico Verhoeven, known as "The King of Kickboxing," held the Glory heavyweight title for over a decade, defending it a record 13 times during a dominant 4,220-day reign. He amassed a formidable kickboxing record of 66 wins and 10 losses before vacating his title in November 2025 to seek a new challenge. This bout, dubbed "Glory in Giza," will be the first-ever boxing title fight held at the historic Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. The event, scheduled for May 23, 2026, places a major heavyweight clash in a unique and unprecedented setting. While this is Verhoeven's professional boxing debut on a major stage, it is not his first time in a boxing ring. He had one previous professional boxing match in 2014, where he secured a second-round knockout victory. Verhoeven has also had a single MMA fight, which he won via TKO in 2015. Oleksandr Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) brings an unblemished record and a historic resume to the contest. He is one of only two men, after Muhammad Ali, to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion and the first ever to be undisputed in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions in the four-belt era. Usyk's path to this unconventional defense came after a planned bout with Deontay Wilder fell through. The Ukrainian champion has recently defeated top heavyweights like Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury twice each, solidifying his dominance in the division. The crossover from elite kickboxing to championship boxing is a difficult path. While fighters like Vitali Klitschko and Marco Huck found world-title success in boxing after kickboxing careers, many others have struggled to adapt to the different sport.
