Overview
- IBF leaders issued an exception Thursday that lets Oleksandr Usyk take the Rico Verhoeven bout, with the title declared vacant if he loses and a mandatory defense ordered within 180 days if he wins.
- The WBA granted a special permit that allows Usyk to enter and count this as a WBA defense, yet Rico Verhoeven cannot win that belt because he is not ranked by the organization.
- The WBC has sanctioned the crossover fight and says it will enforce its mandatory next, with Germany’s Agit Kabayel positioned as the challenger under that body’s rules.
- The event, branded Glory in Giza, is set for May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza under boxing rules for 12 rounds and will stream on DAZN pay-per-view.
- An IBF heavyweight eliminator between Frank Sanchez and Richard Torrez Jr. on the same card could fast-track the next challenger as the rotation moves from WBC to WBA and then to the IBF.