World heavyweight champion who holds the WBC, WBA, and IBF belts Oleksandr Usyk is intensifying preparations for his historic duel against Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at the Giza Pyramids, Egypt.
"Oleksandr Usyk has transformed his training camp into a fortress of maximum intensity," the WBC said in a statement on its official website, which was monitored in Jakarta on Monday.
Usyk, known for his unwavering discipline, has increased the intensity of his training sessions, aware of the magnitude of the challenge ahead.
The Ukrainian champions are in the most critical phase of unprecedented physical and technical preparation.
The upcoming fight is not just a title defense but the first step in a series of three final fights in Usyk's career that will define his legacy, so he will not overlook any detail.
The importance of the fight has pushed the champion to achieve optimal levels of endurance and agility, realizing that facing an icon of Verhoeven's caliber requires the best version of himself.
Usyk is a former champion who held four belts before relinquishing the WBO belt to Fabio Warldey.
The undefeated boxer, who has 24 wins including 15 knockouts (KO), last fought in July 2025 when he faced Daniel Dubois in a rematch at Wembley Stadium, London.
In the fight, Usyk appeared dominant and stopped Dubois' resistance via KO in the fifth round.
Now, Usyk is preparing for a voluntary title defense against legendary kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven.
Verhoeven himself has been competing at the elite professional kickboxing level since 2005. For nearly two decades, the Dutch fighter has consistently performed at the highest level and established himself as one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxing champions of all time.
At 36 years old, Verhoeven has already competed in 76 professional kickboxing bouts. He also recently relinquished his Glory Kickboxing Heavyweight title after an 11-year undefeated streak, a rare feat in the kickboxing world.
