Rico Verhoeven insists he has proven he belongs in boxing despite an 11th-round loss to Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night in Egypt.

The former kickboxing champion pushed Usyk much harder than many expected before the referee stepped in tardy in the fight. At the time of the stoppage, two judges had the fight even at 95-95, with the third having Verhoeven ahead 96-94.

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Last updated: 23/05/2026 at 20:20

Rico Verhoeven commented on the controversial break in the match after the defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.

Verhoeven challenged heavyweight king Usyk at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, and despite most expecting a huge mismatch before the fight, the Dutchman came within a whisker of arguably the biggest upset in boxing history.

The kickboxing legend did enough to win multiple rounds heading into the final stages, with the underdog Usyk struggling to cope with his unconventional opponent.

Usyk finally found the shot he needed when he dropped his opponent at the end of the 11th round, and although Verhoeven managed to get up, the Ukrainian attacked again. led to referee Mark Lyson stopping the fight. Many fans – as well as Verhoevens’ team – were outraged by this decision.

After the fight, Verhoeven shared his thoughts on Lyson, who waved it off, saying he felt he deserved to fight longer.

“I thought it was an early break. It’s not up to me. I believe the referee knows we’re almost at the end of the round, whether he lets me go to the target or let the bell ring… it was close and I thought we were equal on the scorecards.”

Vehoeven was humble at the time when asked if he deserved a rematch.

“It’s not up to me, it’s up to the organization, let’s see what happens.”

It is unknown whether the second fight will actually take place, as the WBC has already ordered Usyk to face mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel next, under threat of being stripped of his belt.

Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk will defend his WBC title against former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven on Saturday, May 23 at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt. The card, branded “Glory in Giza” and promoted by Matchroom, is streaming globally on DAZN pay-per-view and is priced at $59.99 in the United States and £24.99 in the United Kingdom, according to data ESPN. This is the first professional boxing event organized in this historic place. The main card will start at 2:00 PM ET, with main events taking place around 5:48 PM ET and 10:48 PM BST. Below is a fight-by-fight breakdown of the lineup.

Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven, heavyweight, WBC title

Usyk (24-0, 15 KO) will make his first appearance since a fifth-round stoppage of Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in July 2025, which restored his undisputed status. The 39-year-old Ukrainian holds the WBC, WBA and IBF belts, but only the WBC championship is at stake. The WBA and IBF declined to sanction the fight because Verhoeven is unclassified. Nevertheless, the IBF granted Usyk an exception to compete in what it classified as an unsanctioned competition, with conditions attached: if Usyk lost, the IBF title would be considered vacant, while the WBA indicated that it would retain Usyk as champion regardless of the result. result.

Verhoeven enters the fight with a 1-0 professional boxing record, his lone fight ending in a second-round stoppage of winless Janos Finfera in 2014. The 36-year-old Dutchman held the GLORY heavyweight title for more than 11 years before vacating it in November, and his kickboxing record stands at 66-10 with 21 knockouts. He is 6-foot-10, weighs about 270 pounds and is trained for the fight under Peter Fury, who cornered Tyson Fury in his 2015 victory over Wladimir Klitschko. Verhoeven described his crossover as a stylistic problem that Usyk had not faced. “I will bring something different to the table that he hasn’t seen before,” he said. “He has analyzed the sport of boxing like no one else, but he doesn’t know about the kickboxer who will box.”

Usyk described the fight as a voluntary defense on his own terms after years of mandatory and unification commitments, telling reporters that “size doesn’t matter” while calling Verhoeven a “risky guy.” The consensus among observers definitely favors the champion. Usyk is a 30-1 favorite and the over/under in completed rounds is 5.5. On his podcast, Teddy Atlas acknowledged that Verhoeven has a kickboxing pedigree but dismissed his prospects in the boxing ring, noting that the Dutchman’s high guard and upright stance could leave him open to Usyk’s combinations. The full breakdown, including Atlas’ comments, appeared in Boxing Insider’s fight week coverage.

Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Alem Begic for the vacant WBO super middleweight title

In this joint fight, Hamzah Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KO) and undefeated Alem Begic (29-0-1) will fight for the vacant WBO super middleweight title. Sheeraz, 26, fell miniature in his only previous attempt at a world title – a middleweight draw before he started moving up in weight. Begic, a 39-year-old German, faces world-class challenges for the first time. The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds.

Jack Catterall vs. Shakhram Giyasov for the vacant WBA welterweight title

Jack Catterall (32-2, 14 KO) and Shakhram Giyasov (17-0, 10 KO) will fight for the vacant WBA welterweight title. Catterall, 32, of Chorley, England, is ranked No. 1 by the WBO at the weight and is coming off an 11th-round knockout of Ekow Essuman in November. He chose the fight rather than wait to fight WBO champion Devin Haney. Giyasov, a 31-year-old Uzbek and former Olympic silver medalist, is a top contender for the WBA title and last fought in November, defeating Mark Urvanov in four rounds. The WBA organization approved the fight for the vacant title after elevating Rolando Romero to the title of super champion.

Frank Sanchez vs. Richard Torrez Jr., heavyweight

Frank Sanchez (25-1, 18 KO), a 33-year-old Cuban known as “The Cuban Flash”, will fight undefeated American Richard Torrez Jr. for 10 rounds. (14-0, 12 KOs). The fight postponed the IBF heavyweight qualifying match originally scheduled for March 28, but was postponed after Sanchez suffered a knee injury. Torrez, a Tokyo Olympic silver medalist, goes up against the more experienced Sanchez in his class in a contender-prospect matchup that has weight in the division’s title picture.

Mizuki Hiruta vs. Mai Soliman for the WBO junior bantamweight title

Mizuki Hiruta (10-0), named The Ring’s female fighter of the year, defends her WBO junior bantamweight title for the seventh time against Egyptian-born Australian Mai Soliman (10-1) over 10 rounds. Hiruta (29) won the belt in her fourth professional fight and remains undefeated. Soliman fights in front of his home crowd.

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In the preliminary part, the lithe heavyweight fight Daniel Lapin (13-0) will face Benjamin Mendes Tani (9-1) over 10 rounds, and the regional championship belts will be at stake. Basem Mamdouh (10-2) meets Jamar Talley (6-0) in the cruiserweight division, and the remaining fights combine domestic and international prospects: Mahmoud Mobark against Michael Kalyalya, Omar Hikal against Ali Sserunkuma and Sultan Almohammed against Dedy Imprax.