Khaberni - Turki Al Sheikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and President of the Saudi Boxing Federation, in cooperation with "The Ring" magazine, announces a world-class bout titled (Glory in Giza) featuring Oleksandr Usyk, the unified heavyweight champion, against Rico Verhoeven, the former "Kickboxing" champion, for the World Boxing Council title on May 23rd in Egypt, with an exclusive broadcast on the "DAZN" network.
The Ukrainian Usyk will meet Verhoeven, who has not lost in "Kickboxing" for more than 10 years, as he returns to the ring after a 12-year hiatus, while Usyk's last fight was against Daniel Dubois at "Wembley" stadium in the British capital London, which ended with his victory and crowning as the unified heavyweight champion.
The event (Glory in Giza) will be the first bout Usyk fights in North Africa after having professional fights in Ukraine, Germany, Poland, the United States, Latvia, Russia, and the United Kingdom.
On the other hand, the Dutchman Verhoeven is one of the most prominent legends of the GLORY organization in the history of "Kickboxing", possessing a record full of milestones, including achieving the most victories in title bouts with a total of 14 wins, maintaining the title through 13 consecutive defenses, in addition to recording the highest total number of victories in the organization with 28 wins, and the longest winning streak which reached 27 matches, tying the record for the most bouts in GLORY history with 29 bouts, alongside competing in mixed martial arts and professional boxing, achieving victory in his sole match in both sports by knockout, confirming his status as one of the most dominant and enduring boxers in the history of the championship.
Verhoeven defended the heavyweight title last June after winning by unanimous decision against the former twice light heavyweight champion Artem Vakhitov, before announcing his retirement from "Kickboxing" in November, ending his career with 76 fights, achieving 66 victories, and returns to the boxing ring for the first time in 12 years, as he seeks to be the first boxer to defeat Usyk in his professional career.
