Oleksandr Usyk will defend his heavyweight world titles against kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven tonight.
Usyk returns to the ring 10 months after he stopped Daniel Dubois in their Wembley rematch this summer in what will be the first of his three-fight retirement swansong. Usyk will defend his WBC and WBA titles against Verhoeven, despite the fact this is just the Dutchman’s second professional boxing fight.
Verhoeven has however established himself as one of the best kickboxers in history and spent 4,000 days as heavyweight world champion before retiring earlier this year. We will bring you all the action from the first fight until the last, with the main event due to begin at around 11pm UK time and fans can sign up to stream it on DAZN by clicking the link below…
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Oleksandr Usyk will fight Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza on May 23 and boxing fans can watch the fight live on DAZN PPV for £24.99 and get one month of DAZN standard for free.
Alternatively, the fight is included at no extra cost with DAZN Ultimate for £22.99 per month with a new introductory offer.
New UpdatesToday16:09 BST
All eyes will be on the opening fight of the night when Egyptian welterweight star Omar Hikal makes his professional debut in front of his home fans. The boxing sensation will take on Tanzania scrapper Michael Kalyalya – who does have some experience in the ring. The 32-year-old has nine fights under his belt – winning three of them. His last outing took place back in March, a majority draw against Ally Mbukwa. His last win came in a points victory over Batholomeo January Mathias back in 2024.
James EvansToday16:08 BST
There is nothing unusual with regards to the rules for this fight. The contest will be contested over 12 three-minute rounds – something Usyk is very much used to. The 39-year-old has gone the distance nine times in his career – and will no doubt have the edge should the fight head into the later rounds. Verhoeven, on the other hand, may struggle. Throughout his career as a kickboxer, the 37-year-old was used to fighting five three-minute rounds. Those extra 21 minutes could be a cause for concern for Team Verhoeven on fight night.
Similar to the rounds, there are no differences regarding the gloves ahead of this professional, sanctioned heavyweight bout. Both men are set to wear 10 oz gloves – as is the standard for heavyweight fights. Both men are used to wear 10 oz mitts, therefore, there should be no issues come fight night.
Of all of Usyk’s three titles – the WBC, WBA and IBF belts – on the line on fight night, Verhoeven can only win the WBC gold strap. The boxing organisation granted the two-time undisputed heavyweight champion a voluntary title defence Verhoeven, however, he must take part in a WBC mandatory defence next – or will be stripped of the title.
Soon after, the WBA permitted Usyk to defend the title, but states Verhoeven cannot win it if he pulls off a monumental upset. Now, the IBF have had their say. In a statement released last week, it read: “On April 16, 2026, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) received a letter from John Hornewer on behalf of IBF/WBA/WBC Unified Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk requesting that the IBF permit Usyk to participate in an unsanctioned contest against Rico Verhoeven on May 23, 2026, in Giza, Egypt.
“Pursuant to IBF Rule 5.H., ‘An unsanctioned contest is a fight which the IBF has not formally approved for sanction or where sanction has been formally withdrawn. If a Champion participates in an unsanctioned contest within his prescribed weight limit, the title will be declared vacant whether the Champion wins or loses the bout.’
“The World Boxing Council (WBC) has sanctioned the Usyk vs. Verhoeven bout and indicated that it will enforce its mandatory bout next. Based on the rotation system, the World Boxing Association (WBA) mandatory bout would follow the WBC mandatory. Accordingly, the IBF determined that there are no affected boxers, as the IBF acknowledges the rotation system among the IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO.
“On April 29, 2026, the IBF Board of Directors convened by video conference and determined that Usyk’s exception request should be granted, subject to the following conditions: If Usyk loses, the IBF Heavyweight title will be declared vacant immediately. If Usyk wins, the IBF will acknowledge the WBC’s position in the rotation and order the IBF mandatory bout for 180 days thereafter. If the WBA grants a special permit, the IBF will acknowledge the WBA’s position in the rotation and order the IBF mandatory bout for 180 days thereafter.”
The 39-year-old, therefore, will be ordered to defend his IBF strap 180 days after his WBC mandatory defence or 180 days after a WBA mandatory defence. As of right now, the specific scenarios remain up in the air and will become clearer after next weekend’s dust-up. Agit Kabayel – who has long called for a showdown with Usyk – is the WBC’s mandatory challenger, while Murat Gassiev is currently ranked number one with the WBA.
Usyk coincidentally made his professional boxing debut a year before his upcoming adversary. The Ukrainian enjoyed a glittering amateur which was capped off in 2012 when he struck gold at the London Olympic Games. He won the WBO cruiserweight title in just his 10th fight – a decision win over Krzysztof Glowacki over in Poland.
The 39-year-old would go on to defend the title multiple times before winning the WBC strap in 2018 against Mairis Briedis. But perhaps his proudest achievement in his early days came a fight later when he won the undisputed cruiserweight title with a staggering win over Murat Gassiev.
A win over Tony Bellew followed before eventually making the decision to move up to heavyweight. Usyk was quick to make his mark, defeating Derek Chisora before winning the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles against Anthony Joshua in 2021. Nearly a year later, the heavyweight icon picked up his second win over ‘AJ.’ A win over Daniel Dubois followed before back-to-back wins over Tyson Fury. Usyk’s last fight came back in July when he triumphed over Dubois for a second time.
Usyk holds a professional record of 24-0 – with 15 of those victories coming by way of knockout.
While Verhoeven does have some slight experience in the boxing ring, he is largely known for his work in the world of kickboxing. The Dutch veteran’s only professional boxing bout came back in 2014 – a second round knockout win over Janos Finfera in Germany.
The 37-year-old enjoyed a career in kickboxing which spanned over 20 years. He held GLORY Kickboxing’s heavyweight title for longer than any other fighter – making a record 13 defences. Verhoeven engaged in many rivalries during his time against the likes of Daniel Ghita, Errol Zimmerman and Benjamin Adegbuyi. After 20 years as a kickboxer, Verhoeven retired last year with a professional record of 66-10 – with 21 of his wins coming by way of TKO.
James EvansToday16:04 BST
Rico Verhoeven has been handed a slight glimmer of hope ahead of his fight with Oleksandr Usyk tonight.
The kickboxing legend has the chance to secure one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport when he takes on the two-time undisputed heavyweight champion at the Giza Necropolis, in front of the ancient Pyramids of Giza.
Despite his glittering CV in the world of kickboxing, Verhoeven has only entered the boxing ring just once in his career – a second round knockout win over Janos Finfera back in 2014. Many have labelled the fight as a complete mismatch and expect Usyk to sail comfortably to a statement win.
That said, the Ukrainian’s upcoming adversary is out shock the world, and has been handed a slight boost with just hours to go until the clash. On Friday, Usyk came in at a career heaviest weight for his contest with the Dutchman. The 39-year-old weighed in at 233.3lb, while his opponent tipped the scales at 258.7lb – 25lb heavier than Usyk.
Usyk has certainly piled on the pounds from his last fight – a knockout victory over Daniel Dubois last July. The boxing veteran has put on a staggering 7lb since his win over the Brit. As for Verhoeven, the 37-year-old comes in 6lb lighter than for his last kickboxing contest – a points victory over Artem Vakhitov last June.
Despite shedding the pounds, the Verhoeven is set to tower over his upcoming rival on fight night – which could give him an upper hand. With the Bergen op Zoom native weighing significantly heavier than Usyk, it could present him with the perfect opportunity to score a destructive knockout and become the first man to ever beat the Ukrainian in the professional ring.
Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven face off ahead of their fight on Saturday night(Image: 2026 Mark Robinson)
Today16:02 BST
Very few have had the privilege of training with the great Oleksandr Usyk, but rising star Viktor Jurk holds such bragging rights.
The heavyweight great enlisted the help of Jurk ahead of his rematch with Tyson Fury back in December 2024. Jurk – a 6ft 8in man mountain – was tasked with mimicking Fury’s fighting style, as the ‘Gypsy King’ often switches to southpaw. Whatever the German giant did behind closed doors, it seemed to pay off in a big way as Usyk picked up his second win over the Morecambe scrapper after a razor-thin decision victory in Saudi Arabia.
Having sparred with the likes of Usyk, Derek Chisora, and Anthony Joshua over the years, Jurk has revealed exactly what makes Usyk’s camp so special and unquestionably the best in the world. “Sergey Lapin (a member of Team Usyk) messaged me because we have a close friend from both sides. And he asked me if I can come to the sparring, and I said, ‘Yeah, let’s have a try,'” he exclusively told Mirror Fighting.
“And I really, to be honest, Usyk camp is the best camp. The best places to sleep… everything is very good. They pay you proper money. They make sure everything is good. You have great gym access and everyone is cool. And I learned a lot. I learned how I was looking, how he trains, I had some insights behind the scene. I could see something then more than the camera shows. So, yeah, it’s cool. It’s a blessing, to be honest.”
James EvansToday16:01 BST
Rico Verhoeven is confident he can right Tyson Fury’s wrongs.
The kickboxing legend will tonight play boxing icon Oleksandr Usyk at his own game in front of the pyramids of Egypt. Victory would go down as one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history. And it would have Fury DNA running right through it. Verhoeven, 37, was first invited into the family 15 years ago to help Fury prepare for his ill-fated clash with David Haye – and never left.
The Dutchman recruited Fury’s uncle Peter who in turn helped his charge reign as world champion for more than 4,000 days. And they will reunite tonight in an attempt to succeed where Fury’s nephew failed in his own two meetings with Usyk. “I learned a lot from sparring Tyson; it gave me the fundamentals,” said Verhoeven.
“Boxing is obviously part of kickboxing and the adjustments Peter made to my boxing, while I was kickboxing, made me such a dominant champion. I haven’t spoken to Tyson but I have watched his fights with Usyk. I’m not sure it’s up to me to tell one of the best heavyweights in the world where he went wrong, but he should have thrown more punches. Tyson is a big guy so he should have tried to take Usyk’s head off – that’s what I plan to do.
James EvansToday15:55 BST
Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven – 10.48pm
Hamzah Sheeraz vs Alem Begic – 9.42pm
Jack Catterall vs Shakhram Giyasov – 8.39pm
Frank Sanchez vs Richard Torrez Jr – 7.37pm
Mizuki Hiruta vs Mai Soliman – 6.53pm
Daniel Lapin vs Benjamin Mendes Tani – 6pm
Basem Mamdouh vs Jamar Talley – 5.30pm
Sultan Almohammed vs Dedy Imprax – 5pm
Omar Hikal vs Ali Sserunkuma – 4.30pm
Mohamed Mabrouk Yehya vs Michael Kalyalya – 4pm
James Evans
Today15:54 BST
Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven are due to walk to the ring at 10.48pm UK time with the fight starting shortly after 11pm. The opening fight of the night will start at around 4pm UK time with the six-fight main card starting at 6pm. As ever, all fight times are subject to change depending on how long the earlier fights take to complete.
James EvansToday15:53 BST
Good evening all and welcome to our live blog for Oleksandr Usyk’s heavyweight showdown with kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven. The two-time undisputed heavyweight champion returns to action for the first time in nearly a year. Usyk, 39, was last spotted in the squared-circle back in July when he needed just five rounds to render Daniel Dubois unconscious in front of over 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.
This time around, it should be more of a relatively easier fight on paper for the Ukrainian. Verhoeven has only fought once as a professional boxer – which was well over 10 years ago. The Dutchman has a glittering background in combat sports, but tonight’s rival could be too big of a step up in competition. We’re just hours away from the main event over in Egypt. So, stay tuned as we bring you round by round updates from every fight…