Oleksandr Usyk is set to defend two of his heavyweight world titles against ex-kickboxing champion, Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt on Saturday.
Usyk puts his WBC and WBA titles at stake, although Verhoeven is only able to win the WBC title.
Usyk is well on his way to go down as one of the greatest fighters in heavyweight history having won the undisputed crown on two occasions.
The Ukrainian great, who knocked out Daniel Dubois last July, faces an unknown in Verhoeven, who fights as a professional boxer for just the second time and for the first time in almost 12 years.
The controversial clash has divided the governing bodies with the WBC the first to sanction it.
The WBA followed suit, but would not grant the Dutchman the opportunity to win it, while the IBF refused to allow Usyk to defend their belt, although the 39-year-old will be stripped if he loses.
Usyk vs Verhoeven – Date, Venue, Start Time and Ring Walks
- The pair will fight on Saturday May 23rd, live from the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt
- The broadcast will begin at 6pm BST/1pm ET/10am PT/8pm (local time)
- The main event will begin at approximately 10.45pm BST/5.45pm ET/2.45pm PT/12.45am (local time on Sunday)
Usyk vs Verhoeven – How To Watch
- The card is available to watch live worldwide on DAZN pay-per-view and DAZN Ultimate
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Usyk vs Verhoeven – Last Three Fights
Oleksandr Usyk
- Oleksandr Usyk bt Daniel Dubois – 5th round KO
- Oleksandr Usyk bt Tyson Fury – Unanimous Decision
- Oleksandr Usyk bt Tyson Fury – Split Decision
Rico Verhoeven
- Rico Verhoeven bt Artem Vakhitov – Unanimous Decision (kickboxing contest)
- Rico Verhoeven bt Sofian Laidouni – Unanimous Decision (kickboxing contest)
- Rico Verhoeven bt Nabil Khachab – Unanimous Decision (kickboxing contest)
Usyk vs Verhoeven – Undercard
- Hamzah Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) vs Alem Begic (29-0-1, 23 KOs) – vacant WBO super middleweight world title (12 rounds)
- Jack Catterall (32-2, 14 KOs) vs Shakhram Giyasov (17-0, 10 KOs) – WBA regular welterweight world title (12 rounds)
- Frank Sanchez (25-1, 18 KOs) vs Richard Torrez Jr (14-0, 12 KOs) – heavyweight (12 rounds)
- Mizuki Hiruta (10-0, 2 KOs) vs Mai Soliman (10-1, 6 KOs) – WBO super flyweight world title (10 rounds)
- Daniel Lapin (13-0, 5 KOs) vs Benjamin Mendes Tani (9-1, 2 KOs) – WBA, WBO and IBF Intercontinental light heavyweight titles
- Basem Mamdouh (10-2, 4 KOs) vs Jamar Talley (6-0, 5 KOs) – cruiserweight
- Sultan Almohammed (3-0, 2 KOs) vs Dedy Imprax (2-4, 1 KO) – lightweight
- Omar Hikal (0-0) vs Ali Sserunkuma (2-3-1) – welterweight
- Mohamed Mabrouk Yehya (0-0) vs Michael Kalyalya (3-4-2, 1 KO) – welterweight
Usyk vs Verhoeven – What Has Been Said?
“There’s no pressure for me,” Usyk said during their first press conference.
“It’s just [a] fight.
“It’s a boxing fight. I’ll prepare for this fight.
“Everything is ok.”
“I don’t think they [Joshua and Dubois] landed their best shot on Usyk,” Verhoeven told reporters including Pro Boxing Fans.
“He didn’t get rocked the right way.
“In the Fury fight he got [caught with] the uppercut, he was rocked, he was wobbly.
“It can be done.”
Betting Odds And What They Tell Us
As anticipation build’s towards Saturday clash, bookmakers are backing Usyk to emerge unscathed with Bet365 placing him as a 1/18 favourite, while a seismic upset for the challenger is priced at 8/1.
For the latest detailed breakdown of the odds and what they might mean for your picks, check out our full betting odds article here.
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