Oleksandr Usyk Focused, Unconcerned Ahead of Verhoeven Fight

Oleksandr Usyk says this one is on his terms, and he isn’t feeling any pressure going into it.

After years of traveling into opponents’ home countries and working around other people’s plans, Usyk made clear this is different.

“One time, I want to do what I want,” Usyk said during Tuesday’s launch press conference in London. “Not what I need because a lot of the time I do what other people need. Now, I do what I need.”

The unified heavyweight champion will face Rico Verhoeven on May 23 in a 12-round bout headlining “Glory in Giza” at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, streaming on DAZN PPV. The WBC is treating the fight as a title defense for Usyk, who also holds the WBA, IBF, and The Ring titles.

Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) built his career on winning away from home. His run through the World Boxing Super Series at cruiserweight came almost entirely on the road, and he closed that chapter with a stoppage of Tony Bellew in Manchester. At heavyweight, he went back to the UK to beat Anthony Joshua by unanimous decision for the unified titles and later stopped Daniel Dubois in their rematch at Wembley to become a two-time undisputed champion.

Verhoeven brings a different look. The 36-year-old Dutch fighter built his name in kickboxing, where he went 66-10 with 21 knockouts and held the Glory heavyweight title for more than a decade before vacating it in 2025. His boxing experience is limited to one fight, a second-round knockout win in 2014.

The size difference and striking background have been part of the build, but Usyk dismissed any concern about the moment or the opponent.

“There’s no pressure for me,” Usyk said. “It’s just a fight.”

Usyk looked like a man who had found his zen at the press conference. That aura of confidence likely comes from the fact that, for the first time in a long while, he isn’t the one entering the lion’s den. He’s the one who set the stage in Giza.

Rico has one professional boxing match on his record from over a decade ago. Usyk, meanwhile, has beaten the elite of the heavyweight division.

Usyk seems to be enjoying the lack of need in this fight. He doesn’t need to prove he’s the best anymore because he’s already captured all the belts. Now, he’s just doing what he wants, and that kind of freedom usually makes a fighter more dangerous, not less.

The undercard is expected to include Hamzah Sheeraz against Alem Begic for the vacant WBO super middleweight title, Jack Catterall against Shakhram Giyasov for the WBA regular welterweight belt, Richard Torrez against Frank Sanchez in an IBF heavyweight eliminator, and Mizuki Hiruta defending her Ring and WBO 115-pound titles against Mai Soliman.