- Usyk vs Verhoeven goes May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza — heavyweight title on DAZN PPV, Usyk's fifth defence of The Ring belt, with Sheeraz-Begic and Catterall-Giyasov on the undercard
- Tyson Fury crashed the April 16 launch presser at London Guildhall, fronting up to Usyk and reminding the room he's still circling — Usyk laughed, Verhoeven looked bemused
- The story is a kickboxing world champion converting to boxing for one Saudi-funded payday — Luke's pick is Usyk inside the distance, the surprise will be how early
The Fight That Saudi Built
Right then — let's not beat around the bush. Oleksandr Usyk versus Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza is not a fight that the boxing public was crying out for. It's a fight that Turki Alalshikh wanted to put on, in front of the most famous backdrop in the world, with a heavyweight kickboxing champion brought across to challenge a generational boxing talent. As a spectacle, it's hard to argue with. As a competitive contest, it's where the conversation gets uncomfortable.
Verhoeven is genuinely one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers of all time. Make no mistake — what he's done at Glory is class, his Grand Prix runs are class, his title defences are class. None of that translates one-to-one into a twelve-round professional boxing match against the man who unified the heavyweight division and beat Tyson Fury twice.
Fury Crashing The Presser Was The Real Story
The April 16 launch presser at the Guildhall in London was supposed to be Usyk and Verhoeven going face-to-face, building the fight. Then Tyson Fury walked in, climbed onto the stage uninvited, and proceeded to spend the better part of two minutes telling Usyk what was waiting for him after Giza. Usyk laughed. Verhoeven, who'd been brought across from the kickboxing world for this one career swing, looked like a man wondering what he'd walked into.
The Fury intervention told you everything about where this fight sits. The headline event isn't really Usyk-Verhoeven — the headline event is who Usyk fights next, and Fury is making the case that he wants the third one. Daniel Dubois, who beat Fabio Wardley last weekend in Manchester, is making the same case. The May 23 fight in Giza is, in real terms, a tune-up. A spectacular, pyramid-backed, multi-million-pound tune-up. But a tune-up.
What Verhoeven Has Actually Got
Let's not be unfair to Rico. He's 36, he's been a professional combat-sport athlete for the better part of two decades, and he has championship rounds under pressure in his bones. He's tall, he's heavy, he can crack to the body, and he'll be in shape. Boxing-specific, though, he is a project. Twelve three-minute rounds without kicks, without clinch knees, without the rhythms of kickboxing, against an undisputed-era technician who never gives you the same look twice — that is an extraordinarily hard ask. The footwork patterns are different. The defensive priorities are different. The pace is different.
Verhoeven has done it the right way. He's based out of a proper boxing gym, he's done sparring with credible heavyweights, and the camp has been long. None of that gets you to Usyk's level in twelve months. Oleksandr Usyk has been doing this professionally since 2013 with an amateur pedigree to back it. Levels are levels.
The Undercard Saves The Card
The good news for anyone shelling out for the PPV is that the undercard does its job. Hamzah Sheeraz against Alem Begic is a proper test for the British middleweight on his way to the bigger names. Jack Catterall against Shakhram Giyasov is a 140-pound crossroads fight that absolutely could steal the night. Either of those fights could deliver more competitive boxing than the main event will. That's not a knock on Usyk-Verhoeven, it's just the reality.
The Pick
Usyk by stoppage, and earlier than people think. I'm going round five. Verhoeven will start the rounds tall and stiff, he'll try to get his jab going, and then Usyk will start working the angles, the southpaw step-off, the long lead right hook, and the body work. Once Verhoeven feels the body shots, the kickboxing instinct will betray him — he'll cover wrong, he'll square up, and Usyk doesn't need a second invitation when a heavyweight squares up in front of him.
Brilliant production, brilliant location, and a perfectly entertaining heavyweight title night. What it isn't, is competitive. Roll on Fury or Dubois next. That's the actual fight. If you know, you know.