Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven | DAZN - May 23, 2026

[Evander]

Up to you

He's got no one to fight.

[Evander]

Let the division rebuild itself while Usyk goes on tour

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Thomastearns]

Panel of boxing experts reactions to this fight.

To me, it's funny to see the massive lack of knowledge these boxing influencers have about boxing, kickboxing, or actually fighting in general.
Perhaps people within their own community listen to them, but to me they are pretty much a joke.
In general, the average kickboxing level has allways been leagues above boxing average level.
Pretty much all kickboxers who left the sport to become a boxer have performed pretty decent in boxing to say the least.
Vitali Klitschko did pretty decent, just like his little brother.
Povetkin was oke,
Jarrell Miller, was pretty decent in boxing for an American.
Dillian Whyte made some nice money.
And most of them were absolutely nothing special in the kickboxing community but were pretty much instantly top of the bill when they started boxing.

Rico Verhoeven himself has also prepared Tyson Fury good enough to win his Klitschko fight at the time.

I'm not sure what to think of it.
How would these influencers react if Usyk just get's overwelmed in the later rounds like what happened in pretty much any of Rico's fights in the past decade?

We have seen Nieky Holzken doing the same thing a few years ago. He wasn't top of the bill in kickboxing at all any more, but the boxing world was in absolute shock when they put some kid from the UK in front of him expecting it to be finished in no time. Now Nieky obviously wasn't any good at all, but the kid from the UK already struggled all the time and tried to prevent making it an actual fight all the time out of fear. Meanwhile Nieky didn't even want a chair in the breaks, boxing is a sport that would never make an in shape kickboxer tired.

It's not even like I expect Rico to win, but if that does happen, it wouldn't really shock me that much either.
I think the fight is much, much, much more competative then most of these boxing influencers realise.
Rico has allways been a fighter, not some chitchat like Conor McGregor or something.

Some of these boxing influencers even genuinely try to act like they don't know Rico Verhoeven. What planet do you even get such people from? And if they genuinely do not know, why would anyone that does know anything about boxing listen to such people?

To be honest I still wouldn't be surprised at all if Usyk will pull out of the fight, he will simply realise the risk/reward isn't worth it for him. The odds of Usyk losing is about 30% in my estimation. If I get more then 3X my money back if Rico Verhoeven wins, I'm willing to put money on it.

This post is a classic example of the difference between mere opinion and genuine knowledge.

It's also a good example of why we should take the opinions of most of these 'boxing influencers' as light reading.

Oh well, things can always be worse.

You should hear the opinions of some of these so called 'football (soccer) influencers here in the UK!

[Sendo Takeshi]

Dude looks different everytime I see him.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[gregregegg]

I wonder if this will stay in Egypt if it’s all still a bit spicey there.

I mean Egypt hasn’t been effected directly that I know of but it’s right next door…

[amwsnw]

Panel of boxing experts reactions to this fight.

To me, it's funny to see the massive lack of knowledge these boxing influencers have about boxing, kickboxing, or actually fighting in general.
Perhaps people within their own community listen to them, but to me they are pretty much a joke.
In general, the average kickboxing level has allways been leagues above boxing average level.
Pretty much all kickboxers who left the sport to become a boxer have performed pretty decent in boxing to say the least.
Vitali Klitschko did pretty decent, just like his little brother.
Povetkin was oke,
Jarrell Miller, was pretty decent in boxing for an American.
Dillian Whyte made some nice money.
And most of them were absolutely nothing special in the kickboxing community but were pretty much instantly top of the bill when they started boxing.

Rico Verhoeven himself has also prepared Tyson Fury good enough to win his Klitschko fight at the time.

I'm not sure what to think of it.
How would these influencers react if Usyk just get's overwelmed in the later rounds like what happened in pretty much any of Rico's fights in the past decade?

We have seen Nieky Holzken doing the same thing a few years ago. He wasn't top of the bill in kickboxing at all any more, but the boxing world was in absolute shock when they put some kid from the UK in front of him expecting it to be finished in no time. Now Nieky obviously wasn't any good at all, but the kid from the UK already struggled all the time and tried to prevent making it an actual fight all the time out of fear. Meanwhile Nieky didn't even want a chair in the breaks, boxing is a sport that would never make an in shape kickboxer tired.

It's not even like I expect Rico to win, but if that does happen, it wouldn't really shock me that much either.
I think the fight is much, much, much more competative then most of these boxing influencers realise.
Rico has allways been a fighter, not some chitchat like Conor McGregor or something.

Some of these boxing influencers even genuinely try to act like they don't know Rico Verhoeven. What planet do you even get such people from? And if they genuinely do not know, why would anyone that does know anything about boxing listen to such people?

To be honest I still wouldn't be surprised at all if Usyk will pull out of the fight, he will simply realise the risk/reward isn't worth it for him. The odds of Usyk losing is about 30% in my estimation. If I get more then 3X my money back if Rico Verhoeven wins, I'm willing to put money on it.

This post is a classic example of the difference between mere opinion and genuine knowledge.

It's also a good example of why we should take the opinions of most of these 'boxing influencers' as light reading.

Oh well, things can always be worse.

You should hear the opinions of some of these so called 'football (soccer) influencers here in the UK!

Chris Algieri did ok!! But how many have crossed over and failed? I don’t know the answer but I’m assuming it would be many. I don’t expect it to be close and I have great respect for Rico, as I did for Stan Longinidis.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Sources close to Matchroom have confirmed to The Ring that they have now agreed an extension of their sponsorship with Riyadh Season and will be involved in the ‘Glory in Giza’ fight headlined by Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven in Egypt in May.

[joshj909]

Sources close to Matchroom have confirmed to The Ring that they have now agreed an extension of their sponsorship with Riyadh Season and will be involved in the ‘Glory in Giza’ fight headlined by Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven in Egypt in May.

Who is even with Matchroom that they can chuck on this?

[gregregegg]

Sources close to Matchroom have confirmed to The Ring that they have now agreed an extension of their sponsorship with Riyadh Season and will be involved in the ‘Glory in Giza’ fight headlined by Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven in Egypt in May.

I read that as “glory in Gaza” and I was like holy fornicate brave…

[Evander]

^
Of course you did

[Evander]

Usyk should have fought a number one contender

[881073]

Usyk should have fought a number one contender

If he doesn't chicken out, that's exactly what he's going to do.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Jack Catterall-Shakhram Giyasov set to support Oleksandr Usyk-Rico Verhoeven

Jack Catterall and Shakhram Giyasov have agreed terms to fight for the vacant WBA “regular” welterweight title on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk-Rico Verhoeven on May 23.

Usyk’s divisive next contest will take place at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt and will be supported by the match-up of two of the world’s leading welterweight contenders.

Uzbekistan’s Giyasov has remained inactive since stopping Franco Maximiliano Ocampo in four rounds on the undercard of Jaron Ennis-Eimantas Stanionis in April 2025, when he was pursuing a fight for the WBA title then held by Stanionis, won that night by Ennis, and later secured by Rolando “Rolly” Romero in victory over Ryan Garcia after it became vacant when Ennis moved up to 154lbs. He proceeded with the fight against Ocampo despite the then-recent death of his baby daughter.

Catterall – of England, and at 32 the same age as Giyasov – in November won the lightly regarded WBO “global” title when stopping in 11 his compatriot Ekow Essuman. He has made little secret of his desire to fight the WBO champion Devin Haney, and had previously been on course for a contest with Jose Ramirez in the US.

He will instead travel to Africa for a considerably more competitive match-up than represents the main event at heavyweight between the decorated Usyk and the kickboxer-turned-1-and-0-professional boxer Verhoeven.

Perhaps significant is the involvement in Usyk-Verhoeven of the same Saudi Arabian financiers who oversaw the most recent contests in the careers of Romero and Haney.

That both Catterall and Giyasov are promoted by Matchroom may also yet give an indication of how much of the remainder of the undercard that night could be formed.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven at risk of being moved with ‘plan B’ under consideration

Oleksandr Usyk's bout with Rico Verhoeven is reportedly at risk of being moved from Egypt amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Usyk is currently set to face former Glory Kickboxing champion Verhoeven on May 23 in the shadows of the Pyramids of Giza.

However, the Ukrainian's team are considering their options due to safety concerns in the region.

“The team is 100% looking at plan B,” Usyk told Ukrainian publication Suspline Sport.

Although Egypt is not directly involved in the war, the United States categorises the country as a “Level 2” travel risk, advising tourists to “exercise increased caution due to terrorism, crime, and health.”

For now, all Usyk can do is place his trust in his handlers and not let the situation affect his training.

"I don't think about it at all," Usyk continued.

"I know I have to train, and if something happens, the team tells me, and I'm not nervous. I just pray, and that's it."

Usyk opens up as a considerable 1/20 favourite against Verhoeven, who has only competed in one professional bout.

That sole outing came in 2014 when he halted 0-6 journeyman Janos Finfera in two rounds.

Despite the disparity in experience, the WBC have decided to sanction the fight as a voluntary world title defence.

Usyk's WBA and IBF belts will not be on the line.

Usyk is taking Verhoeven as seriously as any other opponent

"My training doesn't change, I prepare for each opponent just as seriously," Usyk added.

"I train against myself, I'm the toughest opponent for myself, because the chances are equal.

"Sometimes my friend Sasha comes up and says: 'Maybe we should rest?', and I say to him: 'You go rest, and I need to work.'

"Serious training, we train, we don't have any relaxation, for example, we ran 10 km, and now 5 km - no, we ran 10 km, and now 11 km.

"Training is in full swing, the only thing is that today I just walked.

"But it's also good for the heart, for the legs, for the training the day before yesterday. Because who are we to skip a leg day?"

[Ruthless-RKO]

ANNOUNCED: Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven undercard confirmed for May 23rd at the Pyramids of Giza:

Hamzah Sheeraz vs Alem Begic
Jack Catterall vs Shakhram Giyasov
Frank Sanchez vs Richard Torrez Jr
Mizuki Hiruta vs Mai Soliman
Basem Mamdouh vs Jamar Talley
Mahmoud Mobark vs Michael Kalyalya
Omar Hikal vs Ali Ssurunkuma

Glory in Giza | May 23rd | LIVE on DAZN

[Sendo Takeshi]

Somehow Rolly avoided his mandatory. Let's hope he get's a money fight next or it was all for nothing.

Solid card overall, but not one great fight on paper.
Sanchez vs Torrez is interesting, though.
Bivol on the card would've been nice as well.

[Ruthless-RKO]

OLEKSANDR USYK VS. RICO VERHOEVEN: FULL 8-FIGHT CARD CONFIRMED

Two world title fights and a pair of bouts with world championship implications make up the undercard for ‘Glory in Giza,’ headlined by unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk defending his WBC title against Rico Verhoeven in Egypt on May 23 on DAZN.

Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Alem Begic for the vacant WBO super middleweight title will serve as the co-main event, while Jack Catterall and Shakhram Giyasov will square off for the WBA regular welterweight belt. Richard Torrez versus Frank Sanchez is also on the card after their IBF title eliminator that was scheduled for March 28 was postponed due to the latter suffering a knee injury. Ring and WBO 115-pound champion Mizuki Hiruta will defend her belts against Mai Soliman.

Basem Mamdouh versus Jamar Talley, Mahmoud Mobark versus Michael Kalyalya and Omar Hikal versus Ali Sserunkuma make up the rest of the card.

Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs), The Ring’s No. 8-ranked super middleweight, will be getting his second shot at a world title and first at super middleweight. In his last fight, Sheeraz, 26, announced his arrival at 168 pounds in emphatic fashion, dropping Edgar Berlanga three times in a fifth-round stoppage.
Begic (29-0-1, 23 KOs) of Munich, Bayern, Germany has won seven straight fights since his majority draw against Tiran Metz in 2019. Begic, 39, last fought on April 15 of last year, stopping Mahdi Safdari in the second round.

Giyasov (17-0, 10 KOs) has long been in position for a shot at the WBA welterweight title, though it has yet to come to fruition. The 32-year-old from Uzbekistan last fought on April 12, defeating Franco Maximiliano Ocampo by fourth-round knockout. Catterall (32-2, 14 KOs), a former world title challenger at 140 pounds, will be fighting for the second time at welterweight. The 32-year-old English southpaw turned in a dominant performance in his last outing, stopping Ekow Essuman in the 11th round on November 15.

Giyasov is The Ring’s No. 7-ranked welterweight, while Catterall is No. 10.

Torrez (14-0, 12 KOs), a 2020 Olympic silver medalist, last fought in November, stopping an overmatched Tomas Salek in the first round. Sanchez (25-1, 18 KOs) will be fighting for the first time since February 2025, when he stopped Ramon Olivas Echeverria in the third round.

Hiruta (10-0, 2 KOs) will be making the seventh defense of her WBO title. The 29-year-old from Okayama City, Okayama, Japan, was The Ring’s 2025 Female Fighter of the Year after going 4-0. She’s coming off a unanimous decision win over Gloria Gallardo on Nov. 22.

Mai Soliman, of Cairo, Egypt, has won nine straight fights since suffering the lone defeat of her career.

Full undercard below:

Hamzah Sheeraz vs Alem Begic
Jack Catterall vs Shakhram Giyasov
Frank Sanchez vs Richard Torrez Jr
Mizuki Hiruta vs Mai Soliman
Basem Mamdouh vs Jamar Talley
Mahmoud Mobark vs Michael Kalyalya
Omar Hikal vs Ali Ssurunkuma

[Ruthless-RKO]

VIANELLO CALLS OUT BAKOLE OVER FIGHT PULL OUT

Guido Vianello: "My team had agreed all terms for me to fight Martin Bakole on May 23 in Giza, Egypt. I even signed the contract. It would have been an honour to fight for @Turki_alalshikh & @ringmagazine.

For some reason, he decided to pull out of the fight without any explanation at the very last hour. Not even an excuse from @MartinBakole01 @boxxer @L2Box1.

I'm still in the gym this morning, doing my part. July sounds like a good time to find your courage again unless you have finished with boxing now.

[joshj909]

Vianello Vs Bakole is a good fight. Wonder if Billy will tell us why Bakole pulled out?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Vianello Vs Bakole is a good fight. Wonder if Billy will tell us why Bakole pulled out?

He usually pops up on here to defend himself and Bakole.

[joshj909]

Vianello Vs Bakole is a good fight. Wonder if Billy will tell us why Bakole pulled out?

He usually pops up on here to defend himself and Bakole.

That's why I asked

[Sendo Takeshi]

Should've asked him for a sparring, so he could defend his undisputed sparring titel.

[DrDuke]

Poor Kabayel. When you aren't popular enough, the champ picks a competitor from the different sport to make more money.