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Usyk will defend his WBC title vs. kickboxer on the Pyramids of Giza

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Oleksandr Usyk’s return to the ring will be special as the three-time undisputed champion will defend his WBC heavyweight title against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt. Ring announcement on Friday.

The fight will be the main attraction of an event called “Glory of Giza: Undefeated Icons”, which will be broadcast live and exclusively on DAZN.

Usyk (24-0, 15 KO) defeated Daniel Dubois by fifth-round knockout in July and has circumscribed opportunities for the next fight because he has beaten Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois twice each since 2021. There were discussions about a possible fight with former WBC champion Deontay Wilder, but Usyk decided to go in a different direction.

Usyk, 39, said an announcement would be made on his social media earlier this week and a fight against GLORY’s longest reigning heavyweight kickboxing champion was being discussed. Not only will Usyk step into the ring with a man widely considered one of the greatest kickboxers of all time with a record of 66-10, but he will also do so at the Pyramids of Giza in North Africa.

“I truly respect people who reach the top in their sport,” Usyk said in a statement. “Rico is one of them – a powerful athlete and a great champion. Being a champion is not just about belts. It is about years of difficult work, discipline and faith. I respect his journey; he is the true king of kickboxing. But this is boxing – a different game, with its own rules and its own kings.

“I’m ready and I’m really looking forward to seeing him in the ring. It’s going to be a special experience for both of us and I know the fans are excited too.”

Coming out of the Netherlands, Verhoeven held the Glory heavyweight title for 4,220 days, with 13 successful title defenses between 2013 and 2025. The Dutch kickboxer once tried his hand at boxing and defeated Janos Finfera by knockout in 2014. Verhoeven (36) also has one MMA fight under his belt – a TKO victory over Viktor Bogutzki in 2015.

“I spent twelve years as the undisputed heavyweight kickboxing champion and achieved everything I wanted to achieve,” Verhoeven said. “But staying at the top didn’t eliminate the hunger; in fact, it made it stronger. I wasn’t looking for comfort, so I looked for the highest challenge available in another world.

“Usyk is undisputed in boxing. That’s the kind of challenge that motivates me. Undisputed versus undisputed. The best fight the best.”

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Eddie Hearn questions Dana White’s boxing future

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Image: Eddie Hearn Questions Whether Dana White Can Handle Boxing

“I just don’t think they’re going to face the fire,” Hearn told iFL TV about Dana White and his company at Zuffa.

“You have years of catching, putting out fires and being bombarded with pellets and grenades to overcome this.

“I just don’t think they’ll be ready for the fire. You must be a little unwell.” [__] to do this. That’s what I do.”

Hearn also ridiculed White’s recent comments about boxing promotion and said the UFC president faces criticism now that he is in the boxing industry.

“He stank,” Hearn said.

“He’s not used to this. Don’t forget what we do, which is meeting people, giving interviews. But he had a narrative.

“He didn’t have anyone like that. That’s why he can’t do it and instead just says weird lyrics.”

Hearn later joked that White’s repeated comments about him actually helped escalate his visibility in the United States.

“I have to thank Dana White,” Hearn said.

“Every press conference he holds, he talks about me.

“I think there are people asking, ‘Who is this Eddie Hearn?’ Little Google, boss, Eddie Hearn.

Promoter Matchroom also rejected White’s recent claim that no promoter has staged more boxing events this year than Zuffa Boxing.

“The entire media audience responded, ‘Okay,’ and moved on to the next question,” Hearn said.

“Imagine if I said that. I would be fried by it in an instant.”

Hearn’s latest comments come as Zuffa Boxing continues to try to establish itself in the sport following months of public photos between White and several longtime boxing promoters.

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Roy Jones Jr Says There’s ‘Only One Fight Ahead’ for David Benavidez: ‘You’ll Beat Everyone’

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Roy Jones Jr says there is ‘only one fight’ for David Benavidez next: “You beat everyone else”

Roy Jones Jr urged David Benavidez to follow in his footsteps rather than fight Dmitry Bivol in an undisputed lithe heavyweight clash.

The “Mexican Monster” appears the sixth round ended with a victory over Gilberto Ramirezwhom he dethroned earlier this month to become three-division world champion.

However, despite winning the WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles, Benavidez expressed interest in returning to 175 pounds, where he still holds the WBC belt.

That would mean chasing unified champion Bivol, who must first defeat IBF mandatory challenger Michael Eifert on May 30.

The Russian hasn’t fought since he overtook Artur Beterbiev in February 2025, when he exacted revenge by majority decision and became the undisputed king.

Bivol then vacated the WBC title after deciding to undergo back surgery, which allowed Benavidez to be promoted from “interim” to full champion.

But rather than return to lithe heavyweight, Jones would prefer to see Benavidez test his skills at heavyweight, as he did against John Ruiz in 2003.

In a conversation with professional boxing fans, the pound-for-pound legend said that a fight with Oleksandr Usyk, who still holds the WBC, IBF and WBA titles, is the only fight that makes sense for him.

“This is the only fight for him right now and the only fight I want to see him in.

“You beat everyone in every other category, [so] go upstairs and fight Usyk. This is the best fight for him.”

While Benavidez has expressed a desire to challenge Usyk at heavyweight, he has said he won’t be ramping up his weight gain anytime soon and is therefore much more likely to receive his next assignment against Bivol.

It then remains to be seen whether Usyk will stay in the sport long enough to face the 29-year-old, which could end up fighting another heavyweight champion.

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Keyshawn Davis missed weight again for the rematch

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Image: Keyshawn Davis Misses Weight Again Ahead Of Nahir Albright Rematch

The weigh-ins quickly turned tense when Albright apparently sent a message directly to Davis during their bout.

“Be a professional,” Albright said in a recording later released by DAZN Boxing.

The lack of weight immediately sparked a backlash online, as Davis has dealt with weight issues before. Last year, Davis lost his WBO lightweight title after losing more than four pounds ahead of his scheduled defense against Edwin De Los Santos.

Friday also marked the second time Davis has failed to make weight in his last three fights.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum admitted that Davis was having difficulty gaining 140 pounds and suggested that the problem may still exist.

“Well, obviously he has issues at 140,” Arum told Fighthype. “The problem is the next category is seven pounds. That’s a gigantic difference.”

Arum also compared Friday’s setback to the loss of Davis, who was previously more than four pounds compact before his canceled fight with De Los Santos last year.

“It was inexcusable because he was five pounds overweight,” Arum said.

“He is now 0.1 weight off which he will improve and get down to 140 or less.”

Keyshawn was later asked by DAZN what he told Albright during Friday’s matchup.

“I didn’t say anything,” Davis said. “That’s what I do. I knock people out.”

When asked what kind of performance he expected in the rematch, Keyshawn gave a compact answer.

“An unexpected spectacle.”

There was already bad blood in the rematch after their first fight in October 2023 was later changed to a no-contest after Keyshawn tested positive for marijuana. Their original meeting initially resulted in Keyshawn winning by a majority vote.

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