Hardcore boxing fans had feared it was coming: Oleksandr Usyk, the world heavyweight champion, would take on Rico Verhoeven, a kickboxer. Today those fears were realised when it was confirmed by Turki Alalshikh that the pair will come together on May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. According to reports, Usyk's WBC title will be on the line.
The 36-year-old Verhoeven, from the Netherlands, holds all sorts of records in kickboxing - where his record reads 66-10 (21 KOs) - and he can also boast a solitary outing in each of boxing and MMA, winning both fights by KO. That lone contest in boxing came back in 2014, when he knocked out the 0-5 Janos Finfera in two rounds. Despite his all-round fighting prowess, it remains to be seen how the WBC will justify this contest as a world title fight. In December, at the WBC convention, the sanctioning body's president Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed that Usyk, who was in attendance, would be permitted to make a voluntary defense. However, at the time, it was thought that Deontay Wilder would be the challenger.
"I truly respect people who reach the very top of the sport," Usyk is quoted as saying via The Ring, who will stage the event. "Rico is one of them - a powerful athlete and a great champion. He's truly the king of kickboxing. Being a champion isn't just about belts.
"I'm ready and looking forward to meeting him in the ring. It's going to be a unique experience for both of us, a big night is coming."
Though the bout is a questionable one in terms of its championship status, it can certainly be argued that the 24-0 (15 KOs) Usyk - widely regarded as the best fighter in boxing, pound for pound - is due a low-risk, high-reward showcase. After winning all four belts against the best the cruiserweight division had to offer he repeated the feat at heavyweight. In his last six bouts he has twice defeated each of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois. Joshua, incidentally, had been rumored to be lining up a bout against Verhoeven in February prior to the car crash he survived in December.
Verhoeven said: "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 from the hunger, it strengthened it.
"Usyk is the undisputed in boxing. That's the kind of challenge that motivated me. Undisputed versus undisputed. The best versus the best."
Alalshikh made his entry into high-profile boxing with a similar project in October 2023 when he matched Tyson Fury with Francis Ngannou over 10 rounds. The MMA star fared much better than feared, when he not only lasted the distance he also dropped the then-heavyweight titlist along the way. At the end of the scrappy bout, the novice was deemed unlucky to lose the decision.
Following that, Fury was twice outpointed by Usyk as the Ukrainian proved himself the best heavyweight of the current era. Verhoeven, 1-0 (1 KO), will certainly have his work cut out to change that.
