We answer your key questions ahead of Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven…
What’s going on?
Oleksandr Usyk, a single-weight, still undefeated, two-weight, three-time undefeated world champion, will face Rico Verhoeven on Saturday, May 23 in Giza, Egypt.
Who is Rico Verhoeven?
The Dutchman is not a famous boxer as he has only one professional boxing match. He dominated the sport as a kickboxing superstar and heavyweight world champion at Glory, vacating the title only last year during an incredible reign that stretched back to 2013.
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British kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty analyzes how Rico Verhoeven can disrupt Oleksandr Usyk.
Is this a world title match?
Despite Verhoeven’s limited boxing experience, the WBC is still sanctioning this fight. This means it will be a world championship contest for one of the three belts held by the great Ukrainian athlete.
Usyk also holds the IBF and WBA heavyweight championships. The sanctioning body is allowing him to fight this Verhoeven fight without his belt removed.
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Verhoven shows off his speed ahead of title fight against Usyk. Photo by @ricoverhoeven.
Can Verhoeven win?
It’s hard to imagine Usyk losing. It’s almost unimaginable. He remains comfortably the best heavyweight boxer in the world, alongside Agit Kabayel and Daniel Dubois (whom Usyk has already stopped twice).
Verhoeven has sparred with elite boxers such as Tyson Fury for many years and has had a long-standing relationship with boxing coach Peter Fury. But still it is difficult.
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With Rico Verhoeven set to fight Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC heavyweight title, relive the moment Verhoeven sparred with Tyson Fury en route to his win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
What happens if Usyk is defeated?
If Usyk loses, at that moment Rico Verhoeven will become the most unlikely heavyweight world champion.
Verhoeven cannot win the IBF belt, but if Usyk loses, the IBF will strip him of the championship.
Verhoeven also cannot win the WBA ‘Super’ title, but the WBA has decided that since Usyk is still champion, this fight will be considered a successful title defense if he wins. If Usyk loses, he will not be immediately stripped of his WBA belt, but his status will be reviewed by the WBA Championship Committee.
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Muay Thai legend Liam Harrison believes there is no one in boxing who can beat Oleksandr Usyk, while kickboxer Rico Verhoeven has his eyes set on his next fight.
Who will Usyk fight next?
He is scheduled to make the mandatory defense of his WBC title next. This is in opposition to Agit Kabayel, the WBC’s interim titlist and mandatory challenger. However, Usyk can vacate the WBC World Championship whenever he wants.
WBC Mandatory Defense Next in the rotation is the WBA Mandatory Defense. He will then have to face the IBF mandatory challenger, who will be the winner of the Richard Torrez-Frank Sanchez undercard fight, on Saturday’s show for 180 days in a WBA mandatory defense.
But Usyk is at a point where he can choose the fights he wants to fight rather than having the sport’s sanctioning body dictate his schedule.
What does Usyk say?
“Rico is the absolute world champion in kickboxing, and I am in boxing. For the fans, that’s not bad,” Usyk told the AP.
“Most people don’t really understand professional sports. They just see the pictures and they want bread and circuses.
“We went through a period of conquering one after another and achieving results. Now we will make some noise for a while and then go back to boxing opponents specifically because we have a certain plan we are building for ourselves.”
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