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Usyk and Verhoeven exchanged words at a press conference in London

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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.

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KO Artist Who Fought Canelo Aims for Chris Eubank Jr Showdown in Boxing News

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"KO Artist Who Fought Canelo Aims for Chris Eubank Jr Showdown in Boxing News"

Chris Eubank Jr has not fought since his underwhelming rematch with Conor Benn, but the 36-year-old is now being targeted by a fierce knockout artist, who is willing to travel to London for the opportunity to face him.

Eubank scored an iconic win over Benn last April but when they rematched seven months later, he felt the full effects of a brutal weight cut, narrowly avoiding a stoppage defeat as he survived until the final bell on unsteady legs only to lose a wide unanimous decision.

Since then, the Hove-born contender has been advised to move up in weight and return to the super-middleweight scene, but he has also been linked to a catchweight clash with Michael Zerafa in Australia – a bout which would take place at 164lbs.

New York’s Edgar Berlanga has now thrown his hat into the ring though, after revealing on ‘The Last Stand’ podcast about his intentions to face Eubank before the end of the year.

“I would love to step into the ring to end the year with Chris Eubank Jr. I feel like that fight is going to be a big fight in London.

“I told Keith [Connolly]I said that I would rather not do it out here in America. I would rather go to London, where he is from [U.K.]you know what I am saying? We can make a big, big fight happen. He is on the radar.”

Berlanga’s most high profile fight came back in 2024 when he challenged Canelo Alvarez for his unified super-middleweight crown, suffering a unanimous decision defeat, one of two losses in his career after also coming up short against Hamzah Sheeraz.

He has since signed with Zuffa Boxing and in his debut with the company on Sunday he knocked Steven Butler out after seven rounds, recovering from a second-round knockdown to earn the 19th stoppage victory of his career.

In an interview with The RingBerlanga has now doubled down on his call-out of Eubank, hoping he can convince the Briton to swerve the Zerafa fight in favour of a clash on home soil.

“I’m looking forward to getting a real big fight with Chris Eubank. Let’s do it in London. It’s going to be big.”

Eubank maintains that he is currently a free agentbut it is unclear whether he is still contracted to Boxxer, with promoter Ben Shalom appearing to believe that their deal has not expired.

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Terence Crawfords Top 5 Fighters of All Time: Three Heavyweight Champions Included

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"Terence Crawford's Top 5 Fighters of All Time: Three Heavyweight Champions Included"

Terence Crawford has cemented himself amongst boxing’s all-time greats with a number of iconic wins and title triumphs. When asked to name his own top five fighters, ‘Bud’ felt three former heavyweight champions have earned their places.

Crawford made history when he dethroned Canelo Alvarez and captured the undisputed super-middleweight world title last September, becoming the first post-war three-weight undisputed titleholder.

Soon after that generational win, the Omaha switch-hitter announced his retirement from the sport, walking away with an astonishing career that consisted of 42 victories and no defeats; considered to be one of the best boxers to have hung up the gloves with an undefeated record.

On The Real Report podcast with Tony Yayo and Uncle MurdaCrawford named only one unbeaten fighter amongst his all-time top five. Instead, the 38-year-old gave props to three former heavyweight world champions: Muhammad Ali, Roy Jones Jr and Joe Louis.

“I got to put [Muhammad] Ali up there. I got to put Sugar Ray Robinson, I got to put Roy Jones Jr. in his prime. I’ve definitely got to put Floyd Mayweather in and I’ll probably put Joe Louis.”

Ali and Louis spent their entire legendary careers competing at heavyweight, while Jones Jr competed in the banner division just once, becoming the first former world middleweight champion to capture world heavyweight gold in over a century.

As for Crawford, despite announcing his decision to retire, he continues to be called out by active fighters, with Ryan Garcia becoming the latest to call for a shot at putting an end to the veteran’s unbeaten streak.

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James Dean Fury Credits Uncle Peter for Insight Ahead of Professional Boxing Debut

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"James Dean Fury Credits Uncle Peter for Insight Ahead of Professional Boxing Debut"

James Dean Fury has always loved boxing, basically since he was born, but it was only when he started training with his uncle, Peter Fury, that he really began to understand the sport.

Given his name, it is hardly surprising that the latest Fury to turn professional has been immersed in boxing for all of his 20 years.

In fact, the super-middleweight prospect tells Boxing News that he struggles to recall a time when he was involved in anything else.

“I’ve been around the sport all my life; was born and bred into it. So my first activity, as a kid, was obviously boxing.

“When I was born, my mum and dad bought me a pair of gloves and a rope – like a little boxing kit for babies – and, when I first walked into the gym, I just fell in love with it. I loved getting punched in the face and punching other people in the face.

“From around seven or eight years old, I knew this was what I wanted to do for a living. I believe God put me on this planet to fight because, when I’m not boxing, there’s nothing else for me to do.”

It is one thing developing a passion for something, like boxing, but learning how to succeed at something is another matter entirely.

Fortunately, James Dean Fury did not have to go searching far and wide for a knowledgeable teacher, yet still he needed to prove worthy of such valuable tutelage.

“When I started training with my uncle Peter at 13 years old, he really opened my eyes and gave me a clear understanding of where I want to go.

“If I sat here and told you everything I’ve learned off my uncle Peter, we’d be here till Christmas.

“But when I was about 14 years old, he tested me. He put me in a trailer [caravan]just to see if I was really dedicated. Then he took me on full-time.”

As a three-time national amateur champion and 2025 Box Cup winner, it is fair to say that James Dean Fury has proved a receptive student.

But now, the young Fury must go one step further and establish himself in the pro ranks, starting with his Boxxer debut on August 8.

Having inked a deal with Ben Shalom’s promotional outfithe will feature on the undercard of Troy Williamson vs Callum Simpson 2, hoping to show fans that he possesses the indigents to win a world title.

“I’ve always been competitive – whether I’m running a race, at a school sports day or playing a board game … I want to win.

“And when it comes to fighting – something I’ve put my whole life into – please, believe me, I will win. I’ve sacrificed everything for this.”

With such competitive spirit, even the attention that comes with his family name does not seem to faze the cousin of a two-time heavyweight champion.

“Whoever you jump in the ring with, they’re going to try and take your head off. No one’s in there to have a dance with me, especially when they hear my name. We’re in the hurt game.”

It might be a cliché, but James Dean clearly does have boxing in his DNA, along with a fierce desire to reach the pinnacle of his sport.

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