On Saturday, Oleksandr Usyk will defend two of his world heavyweight titles against former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt.

Usyk is putting his WBC and WBA titles on the line, although Verhoeven can only win the WBC title.

Usyk is well on his way to becoming one of the greatest heavyweights in history after winning the undisputed crown twice.

Ukrainian great who he knocked out Daniel Dubois last July he faces an unknown in Verhoeven, who is fighting for only the second time as a professional boxer and the first in almost 12 years.

The controversial dispute divided the authorities, and the WBC was the first to sanction it.

The WBA followed suit, but did not give the Dutchman a chance to win, while the IBF did not agree to Usyk defending the belt, although in case of defeat, the 39-year-old will be stripped of the belt.

Usyk vs Verhoeven – date, place, start time and ring walk

• The pair will fight on Saturday, May 23 live from the Giza Pyramids in Egypt
• Broadcast will start at 18:00 BST / 13:00 ET / 10:00 PT / 20:00 (local time)
• The main event will start around 22:45 BST / 17:45 ET / 14:45 PT / 12:45 (local time on Sunday)

Usyk vs. Verhoeven – how to watch

• The card can be viewed live worldwide on DAZN pay-per-view and DAZN Ultimate

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Usyk vs Verhoeven – last three fights

Aleksander Usyk

• Oleksandr Usyk bt Daniel Dubois – KO in the 5th round
• Oleksandr Usyk bt Tyson Fury – unanimous decision
• Oleksandr Usyk bt Tyson Fury – split decision

Rico Verhoeven

• Rico Verhoeven bt Artem Vakhitov – unanimous decision (kickboxing competition)
• Rico Verhoeven vs. Sofian Laidouni – Unanimous decision (kickboxing competition)
• Rico Verhoeven bt Nabil Khachab – unanimous decision (kickboxing competition)

Usyk vs Verhoeven – Undercard

• Hamzah Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KO) vs. Alem Begic (29-0-1, 23 KO) – vacant WBO super middleweight world title (12 rounds)
• Jack Catterall (32-2, 14 KO) vs. Shakhram Giyasov (17-0, 10 KO) – regular WBA welterweight world title (12 rounds)
• Frank Sanchez (25-1, 18 KO) vs. Richard Torrez Jr (14-0, 12 KO) – heavyweight (12 rounds)
• Mizuki Hiruta (10-0, 2 KO) vs Mai Soliman (10-1, 6 KO) – WBO world title in super flyweight (10 rounds)
• Daniel Lapin (13-0, 5 KO) vs. Benjamin Mendes Tani (9-1, 2 KO) – WBA, WBO and IBF Intercontinental airy heavyweight titles
• Basem Mamdouh (10-2, 4 KO) vs. Jamar Talley (6-0, 5 KO) – cruiserweight
• Sultan Almohammed (3-0, 2 KO) vs Dedy Imprax (2-4, 1 KO) – lightweight
• Omar Hikal (0-0) vs. Ali Sserunkuma (2-3-1) – welterweight
• Mohamed Mabrouk Yehya (0-0) vs Michael Kalyalya (3-4-2, 1 KO) – welterweight

Usyk vs Verhoeven – what was said?

“I don’t feel pressure,” Usyk said during his first press conference.

“It’s just that [a] fight.

“It’s a boxing fight. I’ll prepare for this fight.

“Everything’s all right.”

– I don’t think so [Joshua and Dubois] he took his best shot at Usyk,” Verhoeven told reporters, including professional boxing fans.

“He wasn’t hit properly.

“He got hit in the fight against Fury [caught with] upper cut, it was swinging, it was wobbly.

“It can be done.”

Betting odds and what they tell us

Looking ahead to Saturday’s clash, bookmakers are backing Usyk to emerge unscathed, with Bet365 placing him as an 1/18 favorite, while a seismic shift for the challenger is priced at 8/1.

For the latest detailed odds breakdown and what they mean for your picks, check out our full version article about bookmaker odds here.

The post Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven – Everything you need to know appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.

Johnny Nelson believes that Oleksandr Usyk will defeat Rico Verhoeven, but not in the way most people expect.

Usyk will defend his unified heavyweight world titles against Verhoeven on Saturday at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, live on DAZN.

Many expect the undefeated Ukrainian champion to stop the former kickboxing champion, who is fighting for only the second time as a professional boxer and first in almost 12 years.

Usyk is rated at 2/9 by Bet365, giving him his 16th career knockout, but former cruiserweight world champion Nelson believes the Dutchman will go the distance.

“I don’t think it will be a downtime,” the 59-year-old said Boxing King’s Media.

“I think it will be a points win for Usyk.

“I think Rico will be in very good shape, very powerful.

“Compared to the technique, he is confined, but I think he will go the distance.

“He will grab and hold.

Unless the referee steps in and saves him, but it won’t be a beating.

Usyk is fighting for the first time since July, when he became a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion of the world by defeating Daniel Dubois in the fifth round.

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The Ukrainian later vacated the WBO title with Fabio Wardley becoming champion before losing it in his first defense against Dubois earlier this month.

The WBC sanctioned the Usyk-Verhoeven fight, though WBA and IBF have determined their own position on the controversial clash.

The WBA federation agreed to the 37-year-old defending the belt, but the contender cannot win it and if Usyk loses, they will review the situation again.

A WBA statement read: “If Usyk emerges victorious, the fight will be officially recognized as a successful title defense. If the champion loses, the WBA Championship Committee will review his status and determine the next course of action for the heavyweight championship.”

“As for Verhoeven, a victory would not earn him WBA title recognition, although it would allow him to enter the organization’s heavyweight rankings.”

As for the IBF, their belt is not in danger, but if Usyk loses, he will be stripped of his title.

The post Usyk vs Verhoeven: Johnny Nelson predicts shock appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.