Did Usyk And Rico Just Have The G.O.A.T Staredown?
CAIRO, EGYPT - MAY 19: Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven Face Off for the the first time in fight week at "The Pyramids of Giza" ahead of their fight on Saturday night on May 19, 2026 in Cairo, Egypt. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Getty Images) | Getty Images It’s going to be tough for another staredown — in any combat sport — to top the one that boxing Heavyweight king, Oleksandr Usyk , shared with kickboxing legend, Rico Verhoeven , earlier today (Tues. , May 19, 2026) ahead of their highly-anticipated WBC title fight this Saturday (May 23) event.
That’s because the backdrop to their face off were the historic Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt, site of the big man showdown. Take a look at the scenes courtesy of Ring Magazine , which looks like something straight out of a movie shoot. According to Verhoeven, he passed on big offers from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and a fight against Francis Ngannou in order to cement his legacy as one of the best strikers in the game by attempting to become the first man to ever defeat Usyk, all while snatching the belt up in just his second pro boxing match.
The accomplished kickboxer will have a tall task ahead of him because Usyk is the pound-for-pound best boxer in the game today with a record of 24-0 with 15 knockouts, laying claim to the WBA (Super), WBC, WBO, IBO, and The Ring and IBF heavyweight titles along the way. “The Cat” was last seen knocking out Daniel Dubois in July 2025 for the second time ( see it here ). In the co-main event of the evening — which streams on DAZN PPV — Hamzah Sheeraz (22-0) will fcae Alem Begic (29-0-1) for the vacant WBO Super Middleweight title, while Jack Catterall (32-2) battles Shakhram Giyasov (16-0) for WBO Welterweight strap.
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