Oleksandr Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk‘s return to the ring will be out of the ordinary. The three-time undisputed champion will face Rico Verhoeven on May 23rd at the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt.
The announcement was made by Ring Magazine on Friday afternoon. The fight will be broadcast live on DAZN.
Usyk is coming off a knockout of Daniel Dubois last July and is undefeated in his 24 fights, with 15 wins by knockout.
During his time in the ring, he has defeated Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Daniel Dubois on more than one occasion. In recent months, it was revealed that he was in talks to face former champion Deontay Wilder, but the Ukrainian decided to choose another opponent.
Verhoeven held the Glory Kickboxing heavyweight belt for 4,220 days, with 13 title defenses between 2013 and 2015. In his 66 kickboxing victories, 21 were by way of knockout..
The Dutchman was on the UFC’s radar, but they were unable to reach an agreement. Rico already has boxing experience, having knocked out Janos Finfera in 2014.
“I spent 12 years as the undisputed kickboxing champion and achieved everything I set out to do,” said Verhoeven. “But being at the top didn’t take away my hunger for victory, it strengthened it. I wasn’t looking to be comfortable, so I decided to seek the biggest challenge in another world.”
“Usyk is the undisputed boxing champion. It’s the kind of challenge that motivates me. Undefeated versus undefeated. The best versus the best.”
“Glory of Giza: Undefeated Icons will take place on May 23rd at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.”
