Oleksandr Usyk, Rico Verhoeven and boxing's surrealist Egyptian weekend: 5 things to watch

Undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is set to fight kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven in a crossover bout held under the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, scheduled for the weekend of May 22, 2026. The fight, broadcast on DAZN, is described more as a spectacle than a significant competitive crossover event. Usyk, the two-time undisputed heavyweight champion and the world's top pound-for-pound boxer, enters as the clear favorite against the kickboxing champion Verhoeven.