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

[MightyWarrior]

Always good to see the heavyweight champ out, even if it’s bouncing this rube off the canvas a couple of times - hopefully they’re both wearing togas and sandals.

And nice to see Sheeraz out again, and Richard Torrez in a decent fight - with a backdrop of three sheiks sitting ringside in front of a pyramid.

[Ruthless-RKO]

the orgs already have their interim or mandatory challengers waiting..

I guarantee you they'll find a way to make AJ vs Fury for a belt even if they gotta make up a reason.

The WBC will just make one with a union jack on it.

The pricks already did that with Fury-Whyte.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Cent0089]

I think Verhoeven will quit on stool in second half of the fight after taking brutal punishment

[KiwiRider]

The best thing to hope for is Uysk has an easy night, avoiding injuries, and can book in a real fight and stop holding 3/4 belts ransom as soon as possible.

[joshj909]

The best thing to hope for is Uysk has an easy night, avoiding injuries, and can book in a real fight and stop holding 3/4 belts ransom as soon as possible.

Yep. Kabayel in the autumn hopefully. Given all the other fights in the works, anything else will be a weird pick. Unless Itauma beats Hrgovic before then and has a quick turnaround but that seems unlikely.

[Taansend]

I love Usyk but I want Rico to knock him out in the 1st round.

Then they can have the rematch at Stonehenge with the rubber match at Machu Picchu

[johnmanchester]

I love Usyk but I want Rico to knock him out in the 1st round.

Then they can have the rematch at Stonehenge with the rubber match at Machu Picchu

Can fully see Turki going for this

[Ruthless-RKO]

I love Usyk but I want Rico to knock him out in the 1st round.

Then they can have the rematch at Stonehenge with the rubber match at Machu Picchu

Stonehenge??? Surely there’s better places.

He can do a tour of the wonders actually.

[Boxerbeetle]

I love Usyk but I want Rico to knock him out in the 1st round.

Then they can have the rematch at Stonehenge with the rubber match at Machu Picchu

Stonehenge would be perfect as a fight venue actually. Never mind all the poncey historians saying it was designed as some elaborate harvest / solstice calendar thing, I reckon they just did a fight club in the middle of it.

[Taansend]

I love Usyk but I want Rico to knock him out in the 1st round.

Then they can have the rematch at Stonehenge with the rubber match at Machu Picchu

Stonehenge??? Surely there’s better places.

He can do a tour of the wonders actually.

How about Carhenge in Nebraska?

[Ruthless-RKO]

I love Usyk but I want Rico to knock him out in the 1st round.

Then they can have the rematch at Stonehenge with the rubber match at Machu Picchu

Stonehenge??? Surely there’s better places.

He can do a tour of the wonders actually.

How about Carhenge in Nebraska?

That looks pretty cool

[SeanBrennan]

I was thinking Hull

[Ruthless-RKO]

‘I like the challenge’: Rico Verhoeven says he’s ready for the moment, facing Oleksandr Usyk

Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven will fight in Giza this weekend.



Closing in on this weekend’s heavyweight fight between Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven, airing live in front of the Egyptian pyramids this Saturday, DAZN takes fans behind the scenes of the training camps of both fighters as they prepare for the event.

As specifically highlighted with respect to Usyk, the 39-year-old fighter is training as hard as ever and seems to perform as capable as he ever has, causing those close to him to admire at the consistency.

“I do this everyday,” Usyk said of one of his hard training sessions. “I like training, I like hard training because I think God, Jesus Christ, like this, clean my soul — I think. I don’t know [if] it’s true, if it’s not true but when I train hard, I every time pray.”

Usyk continue on to explain how every detail of his training camp is carefully managed from the training to the diet, even including the time he’s allowed to eat (and, of course, the content).

Later in the video we check in on Rico, who explains that he’s tapering down his training sessions as the fight draws near, and he’s just mostly focused on the fine tuning his approach.

“I like the challenge,” Verhoeven said of this fight with Usyk. “I just do not like to be comfortable…I like the challenges in life because I like to grow and I like to learn, and I like to get better, especially on the highest level. So this opportunity rose up, so we rose to the occasion.”

Expanding on his mindset, Verhoeven shares some of his personal background and difficult upbringing which forced him to learn life lessons that molded him into becoming a world champion kickboxer. Oleksandr Usyk will be his latest hurdle but Verhoeven feels prepared for the moment.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[MightyWarrior]

The WBC unveiled the “King of the Nile” ceremonial belt, a masterpiece inspired by ancient Egyptian culture that will be awarded to the winner of the historic clash between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven this Saturday at the Pyramids of Giza.

Crafted by Imperio de Metal, the belt features symbols such as the Eye of Horus, sacred scarabs, Starbucks, Burger King, Budweiser and the Winged Solar Disc, honoring the legacy, power, and history of ancient Egypt

[gilgamesh]

The WBC unveiled the “King of the Nile” ceremonial belt, a masterpiece inspired by ancient Egyptian culture that will be awarded to the winner of the historic clash between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven this Saturday at the Pyramids of Giza.

Crafted by Imperio de Metal, the belt features symbols such as the Eye of Horus, sacred scarabs, Starbucks, Burger King, Budweiser and the Winged Solar Disc, honoring the legacy, power, and history of ancient Egypt

Wait a minute so this has also been Ruthie the whole time?

[Ruthless-RKO]

The WBC unveiled the “King of the Nile” ceremonial belt, a masterpiece inspired by ancient Egyptian culture that will be awarded to the winner of the historic clash between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven this Saturday at the Pyramids of Giza.

Crafted by Imperio de Metal, the belt features symbols such as the Eye of Horus, sacred scarabs, Starbucks, Burger King, Budweiser and the Winged Solar Disc, honoring the legacy, power, and history of ancient Egypt

Wait a minute so this has also been Ruthie the whole time?

Whaaaa? No. Haha

[gilgamesh]

I actually missed the joke there. I thought it was you because of the posting a tweet word for word thing, but I didn't notice he had snuck Burger King and Starbucks and sh*t in there as a rib.

[Grilling Machine]

Stonehenge would be perfect as a fight venue actually. Never mind all the poncey historians saying it was designed as some elaborate harvest / solstice calendar thing, I reckon they just did a fight club in the middle of it.

Box on the Rocks

I think it's fair to say I'd be stunned if Rico does anything. I see it as a bigger mismatch than Mayweather-McGregor.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Usyk still wants undisputed status despite Wardley, Itauma hurdles

Oleksandr Usyk has at least one more major goal left to accomplish before hanging up his gloves for good.

The 39-year-old has said on numerous occasions that he has just three fights before he walks away.

One of the trio will come this weekend when taking on kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven at The Ring's Glory in Giza card at Pyramids of Giza in Giza, Egypt, streamed live as part of DAZN's Ultimate tier plan.

During one particular video, DAZN watched The Ring, IBF, WBA, and WBC heavyweight champion as he trained. After his session, Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) pointed to a wall with three dates written on it and explained their meaning.

“This is my first undisputed at cruiserweight,” Usyk said while pointing to a writing on the wall that had 2018 scribbled on it. “2024 Saudi, this is my second undisputed. London 2025, this is my third undisputed. In 2026, four undisputed.”

Usyk’s plan to become an undisputed champion would involve a third fight against Daniel Dubois. The Ring’s No. 2-ranked pound-for-pounder dominated him in August 2023 and July 2025, stopping him both times.

However, Dubois became a two-time world champion after an 11th-round stoppage win over previously-unbeaten beltholder Fabio Wardley on May 9 and holds the WBO strap. There is a chance though, Usyk fights a fresh face.

Wardley activated his rematch clause for an immediate rematch, to take place sometime in the year's fourth quarter. Additionally, the WBO has been clear on their stance regarding Moses Itauma, its No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger, getting his title shot at some stage.

Ultimately, a few things have happen first before Usyk gets an opportunity to claim undisputed status a fourth time across two weight divisions.

First, the heavy favorite must get past Verhoeven unscathed before fighting WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel, or risk being stripped by the sanctioning body.

[Spud MK2]

After 90 secs or so you may see someone familiar

[Gran Hermano]

Wish they’d stop doing these shit belts. Nobody wants them

[Ruthless-RKO]

[gilgamesh]

Wish they’d stop doing these shit belts. Nobody wants them

I'd bet you that one day these 1 off belts will be some of the most expensive Boxing memorabilia for sale when these fighters pass on, and it goes up for Auction or whatever.

There are a lots of WBC Championship belts in existence. There's only 1 of these. It doesn't carry any actual prestige to Boxing fans, it doesn't make you any bigger or better of a Champion, but as a piece of Boxing memorabilia to commemorate a big event, it's very cool in that regard.

Look at these belts for what they are, and don't prescribe any meaning deeper than that to them, and you'll be fine. No sense in getting worked up about something that is just a nice trophy to go to the winner. It's essentially giving the winner money to have at a later date should he need it by having something of value he could sell.