Blockbuster actor Jason Statham played an unlikely role in getting Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven‘s crossover boxing bout over the line.
A kickboxing icon from Glory, Verhoeven’s eventual presence in the Sweet Science was close to a foregone conclusion as he was long in the running to fight Anthony Joshua in February, had it not been for the British heavyweight’s mental and physical injuries from a tragic car accident in which the lives of two of his closest friends were lost.
Though Joshua vs Verhoeven is a crossover fight that could have been, Turki Alalshikh quickly positioned the Dutch striker as a viable opponent for Usyk. And so it was little surprise to see the deal announced last week.
What was surprising, though, was the venue, as the heavyweights will fight at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt on May 23.
Speaking Monday on The Ariel Helwani Show, host Helwani revealed it wasn’t just Alalshiklh who was instrumental in getting the fight booked, as he had help from Statham, star of smash hit films like Lock, Stock, & Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, The Expendables franchise, Fast & Furious 6 and 7, and The Meg.
“This is the God’s honest truth,” Helwani said. “Do you remember when Francis Ngannou beat Renan Ferreira, and we said the only fight that makes sense is Rico vs Francis — a three-fight series, one MMA, one kickboxing, one boxing? It’s the only fight that’s interesting.”
“God’s honest truth, this got to Jason Statham,” he said. “Jason is a good friend of Rico Verhoeven and he’s a good friend of Turki Alalshikh, and pitched him Rico Verhoeven. They were in a film together. ‘This is my guy, you should make this fight, Francis vs Rico.’
“The timing wasn’t good for Francis but they were committed to Rico. He gets out of his Glory contract, UFC offers him pretty good money to fight Derrick Lewis on the first Paramount card [but] the money was greater to fight Anthony Joshua in February.
“Joshua fights Jake Paul, beats Jake, and of course the accident gets put to the side.
“They still want to make a deal with Rico Verhoeven, let’s go to Oleksandr Usyk,” Helwani finished. “That’s how this got made.”
A 36-year-old fighter, Verhoeven competed 76 times in kickboxing, once in mixed martial arts, and once in boxing. He starred in the 2025 movie Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, as Vigo, and first met Statham on a film set in London and described it as “one of my coolest moments.”
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