Usyk v Verhoeven - all you need to know

Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven with their fists up

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Oleksandr Usyk has been undefeated for 16 years

Published17 minutes ago

Unified heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk fights Rico Verhoeven against the backdrop of the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt on Saturday.

The Ukrainian defends his WBC title against the boxing novice and renowned kickboxer.

A win for Verhoeven would be one of boxing's biggest ever upsets - but can the Dutchman really pull it off or will Usyk's quest to retire undefeated continue as planned?

Everything you need to know about the fight is here.

How to follow Usyk v Verhoeven on the BBC, with radio commentary

Radio commentary from Cairo will begin from 22:00 BST on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds, and the BBC Sport website and app, on Saturday, 23 May.

You can hear round-by-round updates from the co-main event when Briton Hamzah Sheeraz faces WBO super-middleweight champion Alem Begic, before the heavyweight showdown.

Live text commentary will start from 21:00 on the BBC Sport website and app.

You can follow all the action through fight week on BBC Sport, with the 5 Live Boxing podcast with Steve Bunce bringing you daily episodes.

(All times throughout this article are BST)

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What time are Usyk v Verhoeven ringwalks?

The first fight begins at 19:00 on DAZN PPV.

There are three world-title fights, including Sheeraz's second attempt at becoming a world champion - this time at super-middleweight.

We expect Usyk and Verhoeven to fight at about 23:00, with their ringwalks not expected before 22:30.

Usyk v Verhoeven undercard & running order

Oleksandr Usyk (c) v Rico Verhoeven - WBC heavyweight title

Hamzah Sheeraz v Alem Begic - WBO super-middleweight title
Jack Catterall v Shakhram Giyasov - welterweight
Frank Sanchez v Richard Torrez Jr - heavyweight
Mizuki Hiruta (c) v Mai Soliman - WBO super-flyweight title
Basem Mamdouh v Jamar Talley - cruiserweight
Mahmoud Mobark v Michael Kalyalya - middleweight

What information do we collect from this quiz?

How do Usyk and Verhoeven's records compare?

The boxing records of Usyk and Verhoeven are incomparable, but both fighters have established themselves as leading figures in their respective disciplines.

Usyk began campaigning as a professional boxer a year after winning gold at the 2012 Olympics in London.

In just his 10th fight, Usyk beat Krzysztof Glowacki to win the WBO cruiserweight title and embarked on the road to become undisputed.

He achieved that feat in 2018 with a points win over Murat Gassiev and made one successful defence against Tony Bellew before moving up to heavyweight.

Victories over Chazz Witherspoon and Derek Chisora earned Usyk a shot at unified champion Anthony Joshua, and he delivered again to win the WBA (Super), IBF and WBO belts.

Following successful defences in a rematch with Joshua and then against Daniel Dubois, Usyk made history by becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era when he outpointed Tyson Fury.

Usyk beat Fury twice in 2024 and further cemented his place as one of the pound-for-pound greats when stopping Dubois in 2025 to become a two-time undisputed champion.

He has yet to taste defeat in 24 fights as a professional and has won 15 of those contests inside the distance.

Verhoeven has only competed once professionally as a boxer - claiming a second-round knockout win over Janos Finfera in 2014.

But he is regarded as one of the greats of the kickboxing world, having reigned as the Glory promotion's heavyweight champion for 11 years and made 13 successful defences.

What are the fight rules for Usyk v Verhoeven?

There is nothing unusual about the rules for this fight. It will be 12 three-minute rounds.

What is Verhoeven's kickboxing record?

Known as the King of Kickboxing, Verhoeven's kickboxing record varies depending on who you ask.

What we do know is he has more than 55 wins and just 10 losses, making his pro debut in 2005.

He was undefeated as Glory heavyweight champion for 11 years, with 13 successful defences, but is far from a prolific knockout artist in kickboxing.

Verhoeven has picked up 28 wins under the Glory banner with 10 of those coming via knockout, while five of his past six bouts went the distance.

Which heavyweight titles are on the line?

Oleksandr Usyk sits at a table behind the WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles

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Oleksandr Usyk has held the WBC heavyweight title since 2024

Usyk is the WBA (Super), IBF and WBC heavyweight world champion, but not all the belts will be on the line against Verhoeven.

Verhoeven can only win the WBC belt, while the WBA and IBF titles will become vacant if Usyk loses.

This is because Verhoeven is not ranked with any sanctioning body and it was highly unusual for the WBC to allow the Dutchman to fight for their belt.

Their fellow sanctioning bodies did not quite go as far, but will not be taking any action against Usyk for tackling the Verhoeven fight.