Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven will throw down this Saturday (May 23, 2026) at the historic Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt for “The Cat’s” WBC Heavyweight title. Before then, however, the two men took part in the pre-fight press conference earlier today (Thurs., May 21) to promote their upcoming slug-fest.
At the conclusion of the presser, the two men stared each other once more (see the previous face offs here and here), which you can see below. Hamzah Sheeraz and Alem Begic were on hand to
take part in their staredown, as well.
The fight has been criticized by many seeing as how Verhoeven only has one pro boxing match to his name, spending his entire combat career knocking heads as a world champion kickboxer. That’s why Eddie Hearn doesn’t see how Rico has a chance on paper.
“The fight on paper is an impossible mountain to climb for Rico Verhoeven. No … I’ll re-phrase that. For the normal man. But the reason he’s done what he’s done is because he’s not a normal man,” Hearn said. “Oleksandr Usyk is one of the greatest not just fighters of this generation, but greatest examples to any young fighter, athlete, in terms of the work ethic and mindset.
“Tomorrow night, this man [Verhoeven], whose arms are like the normal man’s thighs, has an opportunity to, let’s be honest, forge one of the greatest upsets in the history of boxing. It might not be to him … But it will be on paper if he was to do it.”
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