Oleksandr Usyk will defend his WBC title against Rico Verhoeven in Egypt. The bout pits boxing’s unified heavyweight king against a kickboxing world champion. The fight is scheduled to take place on Saturday.
Usyk’s Future Plans Beyond Verhoeven
Usyk has revealed he has a plan for the fight. He also suggested a career in acting could be on the cards when he retires from boxing. However, he feels he still has unfinished business in the ring.
“I will not stop my career after I fight Rico – I have two, maybe three, fights more,” Usyk said. “I build a plan in future for this fight – I have a secret plan. I want to build a business – this is one of my last fights, but I build [a] big show.”
Verhoeven’s Background and Usyk’s Preparation
Verhoeven, 37, is a kickboxing champion, reigning as Glory’s heavyweight champion for 11 years with 13 successful defences. He has boxed just once professionally, in 2014.
Usyk’s boxing CV includes winning gold at the 2012 Olympics. He has also achieved undisputed status at cruiserweight and twice at heavyweight.
Usyk, 39, has beaten Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois on two occasions each. Despite Verhoeven’s limited boxing experience, Usyk is approaching the fight seriously.
“The opponent might be different but my preparations are not different,” Usyk said. “I work hard, I do a lot of work in sparring, conditioning and cardio. I train like I’m fighting Tyson Fury or Daniel Dubois, because for me it’s a serious fight. It’s not fake. For me it’s not a show, it’s a fight.”
Usyk’s Unbeaten Record and a Past Loss
Usyk holds the WBA (Super), WBO and WBC belts. He is undefeated in 24 professional fights, winning 15 inside the distance. His last defeat was as an amateur in 2009 at the AIBA World Championships to Russia’s Egor Mekhontsev.
Usyk reflected on that loss. “After the fight I went back to my room and prayed, I said ‘listen, Olek, you lost but maybe you couldn’t do more to win. You must do work, homework and get out the mistakes’,” Usyk said. “Making mistakes is not bad but if you don’t change then the mistake is bad. I changed my training camp, I changed my discipline, I chang
Oleksandr Usyk last fought in July 2025 when he beat Daniel Dubois.