Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven Preview May 23rd, 2026
Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine will be putting his Lineal and WBC Titles on the line against against kickboxing great Rico Verhoeven of the Netherlands this Saturday, May 23rd. The fight from Giza, Egypt can be seen live in most nations on DAZN pay-per-view. Usyk last fought in July when he stopped IBF Champion Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of a rematch. The two boxers first met in August, 2023 with the unbeaten Usyk stopping Dubois in the ninth round after Dubois dropped the champion with a controversial body shot which was ruled to be below the belt earlier in the fight. Verhoeven has just one pro boxing match to his name which came in 2014 when he stopped Janos Finfera in the second round.
Usyk vs Dubois Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Rico Verhoeven +1800
- Oleksandr Usyk -10000
My Pick
The 39-year-old Usyk is a 6-foot-3-inch southpaw with a reach of 78 inches who turned pro back in 2013 and has boxed 206 rounds since. He unified the Cruiserweight Titles in July, 2018 in the final of the World Boxing Super Series when he beat Murat Gassiev by unanimous decision. He became the first man ever to hold the WBO, IBF, WBA and WBC Cruiserweight Belts at the same time. He was the WBO and WBC champ when he beat Gassiev, who was then the IBF and WBA champ. Usyk, who owns a perfect record of 24-0 with 15 Ko’s, had also won the WBO Title by beating Krzysztof Glowacki by unanimous decision in September, 2016.
He defended it against Thabiso Mchunu with a ninth-round stoppage three months later and against Michael Hunter in April, 2017. He then stopped Marco Huck in 10 rounds before taking the WBC Title from Mairis Briedis by majority decision in January, 2018 and defended all of the cruiserweight belts against Tony Bellew in his last fight in the weight division. Since then he’s laid claim to all of the heavyweight belts with his wins over Anthony Joshua, which came by unanimous decision in 2021 and split decision a year later. He also beat Dereck Chisora at heavyweight by unanimous decision for the WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight Crown and of course beat Tyson Fury twice by decision and became undisputed at heavyweight after the first victory in 2024.
Usyk isn’t a huge puncher as his current knockout ratio stands at 62.5 per cent and he’s been taken the distance in nine of his last 15 outings. Before halting Dubois in 2023, his last stoppage came in 2019 when he stopped Chazz Witherspoon in the seventh round in Usyk’s heavyweight debut. Those who went the distance with him have been Fury (twice), Joshua (twice), Chisora, Gassiev, Hunter, Glowacki and Briedis. Usyk had an excellent amateur career as he competed at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and then won the gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 2012 Games in London. He also won bronze and gold at World Amateur Championship tournaments in 2009 and 2011 respectively.
Verhoeven is no spring chicken either as he’s 37 years old and is 1-0 with 1 Ko as a boxer. He measures 6-feet-5-inches tall with a 78.5-inch reach for a two-inch height advantage on Usyk as well as a minimal half-inch in reach. Verhoeven is a legendary kickboxer who is generally regarded as one of the greatest strikers in the history of combat sports and is known as The King of Kickboxing. Verhoeven dominated GLORY Kickboxing for numerous years as he owned the GLORY Heavyweight Championship from 2013 until 2026.
Along the way he set records for the most consecutive title defences and the longest title reign. However just a couple of months ago Verhoeven gave up his kickboxing belt to switch over to pro boxing. His kickboxing record is reportedly 66-10 with 21 Ko’s. Usyk’s WBC and Ring Magazine (Lineal) Heavyweight Belts are supposedly on the line but if Verhoeven wins the Titles will reportedly be vacated and Verhoeven will be placed near the top of the heavyweight rankings. He turned pro in 2004 after taking up martial arts as a small child and has also competed in Showtime, K-1 and SUPERKOMBAT.
Verhoeven held the Glory Heavyweight Belt for 11 years and holds records for the most wins in title bouts with 14 as well as 13 straight title defences; the most wins at 28 and the greatest winning streak at 27. He has reportedly worked closely with Tyson Fury in the past to try to hone his boxing skills and as a kickboxer he owns wins over the likes of Jamal Ben Saddik, Tarik Khbabez, Hesdy Gerges, Badr Hari, Antonio Silva, Anderson Silva, Benjamin Adegbuyi, Errol Zimmerman, Daniel Ghi?a and Peter Aerts.
Prediction…
Verhoeven has the edge in size and that’s about it when it comes to the sport of boxing. However, power can be a great equalizer so we never know what may happen if he lands a perfect punch. Usyk will use his ring IQ and footwork to try to prevent that from happening. He’ll get close enough to utilize his skills, land telling blows and then get out of range. As long as his chin holds up, I’m expecting Usyk to win this fight, probably by a relatively wide decision.
Play: Usyk -10000 @ BetOnline.ag
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Oleksandr Usyk betting • Rico Verhoeven betting