Unified Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk faces former Kickboxer/MMA fighter Rico Verhoeven May 23, 2026 in Egypt
“Glory in Giza” will take place in Egypt on Saturday, 23 May, broadcast live worldwide on DAZN, supported by Matchroom Boxing.
Unified heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk faces former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven, who steps back into the boxing ring following a twelve-year absence.
Usyk became the undisputed heavyweight champion with two victories over Tyson Fury in Riyadh in 2024. He then became the unified heavyweight champion with a comprehensive fifth-round KO of Daniel Dubois.
Having fought in Ukraine, Germany, Poland, the USA, Latvia, Russia and the UK, the 39-year-old will compete in North Africa for the first time in his career.
Verhoeven, 36, holds Glory records in most wins in title bouts (14), the most consecutive title defences (13), the most wins (28), and the longest winning streak (27).
He has previously competed in MMA and professional boxing, winning his only fight in each sport by knockout.
Two World Title fights confirmed for ‘Glory in Giza’ undercard
Hamzah Sheeraz (22-0-1) and Alem Begic (29-0-1) lead the undercard in a clash of unbeaten fighters for the vacant WBO World Super Middleweight title, with Sheeraz returning to the ring for the first time in 2026 following a fifth-round knockout of Edgar Berlanga in New York last July.
British welterweight Jack Catterall (32-2-0) faces undefeated Uzbek contender Shakhram Giyasov (17-0-0) for the WBA Regular world title, with Catterall coming off a victory over WBO Global champion Ekow Essuman on the Eubank Jr vs Benn II undercard in November.
Cuban contender Frank Sanchez (25-1-0) will take on unbeaten Olympic silver medallist Richard Torrez Jr. (14-0-0) defending his WBC Americas and WBO NABO titles.
Ring Magazine Female Fighter of the Year Mizuki Hiruta (10–0-0) will defend her Ring and WBO World titles against Egyptian-born Australian Mai Soliman (10–1-0). This will be Hiruta’s seventh straight defence of her WBO belt, which she won back in September 2022, and her first bout on a major card.
Egyptian cruiserweight Basem Mamdouh (10-2-0) is also set to compete on home soil, taking on undefeated American Jamar Talley (6-0-0).
The undercard will also showcase emerging Egyptian talents with Mahmoud Mobark facing Michael Kalyalya and Omar Hikal taking on Ali Sserunkuma.
