Boxing May 18, 2026

Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven: What happens if unbeaten unified champion suffers defeat and other questions

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven: What happens if unbeaten unified champion suffers defeat and other questions

We answer the key questions ahead of Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven...

Oleksandr Usyk, the unified, still unbeaten and a two-weight, three-time undisputed world champion, is fighting Rico Verhoeven in Giza, Egypt on Saturday May 23.

He has one, only one, professional boxing bout and so the Dutchman is not a noted boxer. He is though a kickboxing superstar and dominated that sport as Glory's heavyweight world champion, vacating that title only last year in a remarkable reign that stretched back to 2013.

Despite Verhoeven having such limited boxing experience, the WBC are still sanctioning the fight. It means it will be a world championship contest for one of the three belts that the great Ukrainian holds.

Usyk also has the IBF and WBA heavyweight championships. Those sanctioning bodies are permitting him to take this Verhoeven fight without stripping him of their belts.

It is hard to imagine Usyk losing. It's almost unthinkable. He remains comfortably the best heavyweight boxer in the world, with Agit Kabayel and Daniel Dubois (whom Usyk has already stopped twice) his nearest contenders.

Verhoeven has sparred elite boxers, like Tyson Fury, for a number of years and has a longstanding relationship with boxing coach Peter Fury. But still, it's a tall, tall order.

If Usyk were to lose, at that moment Rico Verhoeven would become a most unlikely heavyweight world champion.

While Verhoeven can't win the IBF belt, with it not being on the line, if Usyk did lose the IBF would strip him of their championship.

Verhoeven can't win the WBA 'super' title either, but the WBA have decided that with Usyk still being their champion if he is victorious they will count this bout as a successful title defence. If Usyk loses, he wouldn't be immediately stripped of the WBA belt, but the WBA Championship Committee will review his status.

He will be due to make a mandatory defence of the WBC title next. That would have to be against Agit Kabayel, the WBC's Interim titlist and mandatory challenger. But Usyk could always vacate his WBC world championship if he chose to.

Next in the rotation after a WBC mandatory defence, would be a WBA mandatory defence. He would then have 180 days from that WBA mandatory defence to face his IBF mandatory challenger, who'd be the winner of the Richard Torrez-Frank Sanchez undercard bout on Saturday's show.

Usyk though is at a point of his career where he can choose the fights he wants rather than necessarily have his schedule dictated by the sport's sanctioning bodies.

"Rico is the absolute world champion in kickboxing and I am in boxing. For the fans, that's not bad," Usyk told AP.

"Most people don't really understand professional sports. They just watch the picture, and people want bread and circuses.

"We, in turn, went through a certain period of conquering and achieving results. Now we'll make some noise for a while and then return to specifically boxing opponents because there is a certain plan that we are building for ourselves."

Don't miss Chris Billam-Smith vs Ryan Rozicki live on Your Site on June 6.

Tags:

boxing news

Share this article

Related Posts

Stevie McKenna signs deal with Zuffa Boxing and returns to action on June 6 Bournemouth bill, live on Sky Sports

Stevie McKenna signs deal with Zuffa Boxing and returns to action on June 6 Bournemouth bill, live on Sky Sports

Stevie McKenna has signed a long-term deal with Zuffa Boxing and will return to action on June 6, live on Your Site.On the Zuffa Boxing 07 bill at the...

Canelo Alvarez: Mexican superstar will return on September 12 to fight Christian Mbilli for WBC super-middleweight championship

Canelo Alvarez: Mexican superstar will return on September 12 to fight Christian Mbilli for WBC super-middleweight championship

Canelo Alvarez will return to boxing a year after his stunning defeat to Terence Crawford and fight Christian Mbilli for the WBC 168lb world title on...

Dave Allen hammered to defeat against Filip Hrgovic in just three rounds at Eco-Power Stadium in his Doncaster hometown

Dave Allen hammered to defeat against Filip Hrgovic in just three rounds at Eco-Power Stadium in his Doncaster hometown

Dave Allen succumbed to Filip Hrgovic in just three rounds at the Eco-Power Stadium in Doncaster.It was a heartbreaking loss for Allen in his hometown...

Filip Hrgovic could fight Moses Itauma next after Dave Allen demolition: 'Moses never reached the promised land!'

Filip Hrgovic could fight Moses Itauma next after Dave Allen demolition: 'Moses never reached the promised land!'

Filip Hrgovic could fight Moses Itauma in August after dispatching Dave Allen inside three rounds on Saturday.Hrgovic is an Olympic bronze medallist w...

Canelo Alvarez: Mexican superstar will return on September 12 to fight Christian Mbilli for WBC super-middleweight championship

Canelo Alvarez: Mexican superstar will return on September 12 to fight Christian Mbilli for WBC super-middleweight championship

Canelo Alvarez will return to boxing a year after his stunning defeat to Terence Crawford and fight Christian Mbilli for the WBC 168lb world title on...

Filip Hrgovic could fight Moses Itauma next after Dave Allen demolition: 'Moses never reached the promised land!'

Filip Hrgovic could fight Moses Itauma next after Dave Allen demolition: 'Moses never reached the promised land!'

Filip Hrgovic could fight Moses Itauma in August after dispatching Dave Allen inside three rounds on Saturday.Hrgovic is an Olympic bronze medallist w...