Oleksandr Usyk will defend his WBC heavyweight title against GLORY’s longest-reigning heavyweight kickboxing champion, Rico Verhoeven, tonight at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
The championshipboutis scheduled for 12 rounds, and if Verhoeven manages to dethrone Usyk, he will become the new WBC heavyweight champion.
On the other hand, if Usyk wins, the fight will count as a successful defence of his WBC title. However, reports suggest that while Usyk’s IBF and WBA belts are attached to tonight’s event, Verhoeven cannot win those titles because he is an unranked challenger. Hence, those belts will be declared vacant if boxing’s pound-for-pound king suffers a loss.
Let us witness how this crossover fight between two legends plays out.
Rico Verhoeven ran to the ring 👀Glory in Giza | May 23rd | LIVE on DAZN 🥊pic.twitter.com/B5u1WmJ4QE
As the crowd chants Rico, Verhoeven stuns Oleksandr Usyk with heavy body shots and a clean punch to the face that appears to shake the champion. Verhoeven clearly takes Round 1. Usyk starts slow and looks patient at the moment.
Oleksandr Usyk has started to respect Rico Verhoeven’s power. In Round 2, the kickboxing legend dominates once again. Rico looks sharp, active, and clearly has better output and accuracy so far. Can the Dutchman maintain this pace over the remaining 10 rounds and continue forcing the champion onto the back foot?
A better round for the champ, but Verhoeven is not slowing down anytime soon. He ate multiple big shots in the third stanza but also landed some terrific combinations. Is Usyk waiting for “King of Kickboxing” to slow down?
A much better round for Oleksandr Usyk. He goes all out, but those clean shots are still not enough to stun and slow down Rico Verhoeven just yet.
Another strong round for Rico Verhoeven, who is smelling blood. Every time he stuns Oleksandr Usyk, he immediately looks for the finish. Usyk, on the other hand, remains patient and composed despite the pressure.
Source: LowKickMMA.com
