Usyk defends his throne at the pyramids against kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven

Oct 12, 2019; Chicago, IL, USA; Oleksandr Usyk (white trunks) during his match against Chazz Witherspoon (not pictured) during a heavyweight boxing match at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-Imagn Images

(Jon Durr-Imagn Images)

CAIRO, Egypt — On Saturday, May 23, the sport of boxing will stage one of its most visually striking events in years. In the shadow of the Pyramids of Giza, Oleksandr Usyk will put his WBC heavyweight title on the line against Rico Verhoeven, the most decorated kickboxer on the planet. The setting is spectacular. The matchup is fascinating. The outcome, for most observers, feels predetermined.

Usyk arrives in Egypt as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, a title he unified by twice defeating Tyson Fury. He is widely regarded as one of the finest boxers of his generation and at 37 years old, the Ukrainian southpaw has nothing left to prove and everything to protect.

Verhoeven, also 37, carries his own form of legend into this fight, just not the boxing kind. The Dutch heavyweight is the undisputed king of GLORY Kickboxing, holding a 28-1 record within the organization and a professional kickboxing record of 66-10 with 21 knockouts. He is, by any measure, one of the most accomplished combat sports athletes of his era. The problem is that May 23 will only be his second professional boxing match.

His first, and only, came over twelve years ago against Janos Finfera, whom he stopped in the second round. Since then, the boxing ring has remained foreign territory. Verhoeven has spent the months leading into this fight trying to change that, training under Peter Fury to sharpen his boxing-specific technique. The focus has been on transitioning away from kickboxing's upright, square stance toward a lower, more bladed guard, developing cleaner combinations, and building the kind of head movement and footwork that elite boxing demands.

Whether those adjustments are enough is the central question. Critics have noted that rewiring the mechanics of a lifelong kickboxer for the highest level of boxing competition in such a short amount of time is an enormous ask. Verhoeven himself acknowledges his camp has emphasized combination work and lateral movement, but long-term habits are stubborn, and Usyk is not the kind of opponent who will allow an athlete time to find their rhythm.