An all-time kickboxing great is going to battle boxing’s heavyweight champion at the Pyramids in Giza.
Yes, you read that right.
The month of out-of-left-field combat sports announcements continued Friday as Turki Alalshikh revealed a boxing match between unified heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk and kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven – at the Egyptian wonder of the world. The May 23 bout will stream on DAZN.
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Usyk (24-0) will put his WBC title on the line as he looks to maintain his perfect professional record. Usyk most recently competed in July when he defeated Daniel Dubois by fifth-round knockout. The bout was his first since he won back-to-back fights over Tyson Fury.
Verhoeven (1-0) reenters the world of boxing for the first time since 2014. The 36-year-old Dutchman is who many believe to be the greatest heavyweight kickboxer in modern history. Verhoeven (66-10 kickboxing) in November announced he’d stepped away from GLORY Kickboxing and was pursuing MMA, with rumors of the UFC as his potential next move.
However, during testimony in the antitrust lawsuit against the UFC, chief business officer Hunter Campbell explained the promotion had made a move on Verhoeven, but he elected to do boxing instead.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Pyramids in Giza hosts Oleskandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven boxing match
