Overview
- Usyk vs. Verhoeven is set for May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza and will stream on DAZN pay‑per‑view, promoters announced.
- The WBC Board of Governors confirmed it will sanction the matchup as a voluntary world heavyweight title defense after initially framing it as a special event.
- Kickboxing great Rico Verhoeven enters with a 1‑0 professional boxing record from 2014 and has enlisted Peter Fury to lead a multi‑month training camp in the Netherlands.
- Under WBC rules, interim titleholder Agit Kabayel is expected to be ordered to face the winner later this year despite this voluntary defense.
- Ariel Helwani reported that Jason Statham connected Verhoeven with Turki Alalshikh to help set up the fight, and Verhoeven said he turned down a ‘decent’ UFC offer in favor of a bigger boxing payday.