Boxing enthusiasts are turning their attention to Egypt this evening as unified heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk takes on kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven. The bout, set against the backdrop of the Pyramids of Giza, marks the beginning of Usyk's farewell tour, with the Ukrainian revealing he will fight only three more times before retiring.
Fight Details and Stakes
Usyk, the reigning heavyweight champion, will put his world title on the line against Verhoeven, who is making only his second professional boxing appearance. Verhoeven's sole previous boxing match ended in a second-round stoppage 12 years ago, after which he embarked on a record-breaking 4,000-day reign as kickboxing world champion. Despite the disparity in experience, Usyk enters as the heavy favourite.
UK Start Times
The main event ring walks are scheduled for 10:48 PM UK time, with the fight expected to begin shortly after 11 PM. The evening's action kicks off with the first bout at around 4 PM, followed by the six-fight main card starting at 6 PM. All timings are subject to change depending on the duration of earlier contests.
- Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven: 10:48 PM
- Hamzah Sheeraz vs Alem Begic: 9:42 PM
- Jack Catterall vs Shakhram Giyasov: 8:39 PM
- Frank Sanchez vs Richard Torrez Jr: 7:37 PM
- Mizuki Hiruta vs Mai Soliman: 6:53 PM
- Daniel Lapin vs Benjamin Mendes Tani: 6 PM
- Basem Mamdouh vs Jamar Talley: 5:30 PM
- Sultan Almohammed vs Dedy Imprax: 5 PM
- Omar Hikal vs Ali Sserunkuma: 4:30 PM
- Mohamed Mabrouk Yehya vs Michael Kalyalya: 4 PM
How to Watch
The event will be broadcast live and exclusively on DAZN pay-per-view in the UK. Fans can purchase the fight for £27.99, which includes a free month of DAZN Standard. Alternatively, DAZN Ultimate subscribers can watch at no extra cost for £22.99 per month, with a new introductory offer available. The fight will not be shown on Sky Sports or TNT Sports.
Quotes from the Fighters
Oleksandr Usyk: "My team is preparing me for his style, and I trust my team. I don’t feel the pressure in this fight. I just work. I do what I can do. I am training hard every day. I feel good. For me, it’s my discipline, my work."
Rico Verhoeven: "For me to be honest it makes sense. The other fights also made sense because they were also considered to be big crossover events. We have Oleksandr Usyk, who has been dominating the sport for such a long time, from cruiserweight, now at heavyweight. He’s beating not once, but twice. Undisputed vs. undisputed, two different worlds colliding, wow, it’s a crazy movie script."
