Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven met face-to-face in London on Tuesday for the official press conference ahead of their WBC heavyweight title fight, which will take place on May 23 at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt. The event, called “Glory in Giza” and promoted by Ring Magazine, will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.

Usyk (24-0, 15 KO) will be the first defense of the final chapter of a career that has resulted in undisputed titles in two weight classes. The 39-year-old Ukrainian, who currently holds the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight belts, has not fought since he stopped Daniel Dubois in five rounds at Wembley Stadium in July last year. On stage, he was characteristically placid and philosophical, often smiling as he addressed reporters.

“For once I want to do what I want and not what is needed, because most of the time I do what others need,” Usyk said, explaining why he chose to voluntarily defend himself against a non-boxing fighter. “You have to box like that.” I say, “Okay, okay, okay.” Now I do what I need.”

Asked specifically about Verhoeven, Usyk briefly replied: “He’s a great guy. He’s a risky guy.”

Verhoeven is planning a crossover

Verhoeven, 37, did most of the talking. The Dutchman, who was the Glory Kickboxing heavyweight champion for over 11 years in a row and set a record in this discipline of 60-10, is making only his second professional boxing appearance. His lone fight took place in 2014 and ended with a second-round knockout of undefeated János Finfera.

The path to Usyk was not the original plan. Verhoeven revealed that a fight with Anthony Joshua had been planned since February, before Joshua’s December car accident in Nigeria, which tragically killed two members of his inner circle, forced a change of direction.

“There was a fight, there was just a tragic accident and that’s what derailed everything,” Verhoeven said. The conversation progressed from there. “I said, ‘What about Usyk? That makes sense. Undisputed versus undisputed.’ So that’s what happened.”

Verhoeven said the crossover concept was his own idea. “We were the ones who reported it,” he told reporters. “Hey, we have an idea, what about Undisputed vs. Undisputed? What do you think? They said we liked it and that’s how this fight happened.”

He acknowledged that the mainstream boxing audience may not know his credentials, but pointed to the WBC kickboxing and Muay Thai divisions as a bridge of legitimacy. “It made sense to them,” Verhoeven said. “He’s one of the best, if not the best kickboxer of all time. So he has his credentials, so fighting for the title makes sense.”

The size, power and form factor of a kickboxer

The physical discrepancy between the two men was evident on stage. Verhoeven, who is 6-foot-10 and weighs about 275 pounds, dwarfs the naturally built, cruiserweight Usyk, who typically steps into the ring before 220. That’s a weight difference of about 50 to 55 pounds, and Verhoeven wasn’t trying to downplay it.

“When I give him my best punch, of course he will fall because it’s almost a 20-kilogram difference in weight,” Verhoeven said. “He’s a developed cruiserweight. I was born heavyweight, so that’s a massive difference. It’ll happen if I let my best shot get a immaculate shot. And if I don’t, we’ll just win.”

It was a confident but measured performance from a fighter who understands the skepticism surrounding the matchup. Verhoeven admitted that coach Peter Fury had improved his boxing fundamentals and referred to previous sparring sessions with Tyson Fury as part of his preparation. Peter Fury, speaking from the stage, noted that Verhoeven gave up bigger paydays in other combat sports to take on this particular challenge.

“To be the best, you have to beat the best,” Verhoeven said. “I think to be the best at what you do, you have to be a little crazy.”

What does this fight mean for the heavyweight division?

The WBC’s decision to sanction a fighter’s voluntary title defense with one professional boxing fight was met with criticism from part of the boxing community. The fight raised eyebrows among those who believe that proven boxers should fight for the heavyweight championship. However, the WBC cited Verhoeven’s standing in kickboxing and its own combat sports divisions as justification, and Usyk’s track record in taking on every significant challenge in the sport gives him considerable leeway.

For Usyk, who has said he plans to fight three more times before he retires, the Verhoeven fight will be the first of those final chapters. The heavyweight division is still crowded after May 23: Fabio Wardley will defend his WBO title against Daniel Dubois on May 9, Anthony Joshua is expected to return to fighting in the summer, and Tyson Fury’s future depends on his recent return. Usyk placed himself above all this, having the freedom to choose his opponents on his own terms.

Eddie Hearn, speaking during the Q&A press conference, reminded Verhoeven that a victory over Usyk would open the door to a potential fight with Joshua, adding another layer to an already extraordinary promotional narrative.

The meeting was tense but respectful. In the co-main event, Hamzah Sheeraz will face Al Begic for the vacant WBO middleweight title, while Jack Catterall will face Shakhram Giyasov for the regular WBA welterweight title. as announced by Ring magazine.

The central question remains whether Verhoeven’s size, power and unorthodox angles will translate to a fight of Usyk’s caliber. History says this won’t happen. Verhoeven, however, is counting on the opportunity to rewrite history at the foot of the pyramids, and Usyk, for his part, seems perfectly joyful to let him try.