Usyk to Defend WBC Title vs Verhoeven, Experts Say Win
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- Oleksandr Usyk defends his WBC world title against Rico Verhoeven on Saturday, 23 May, in Egypt.
- Rico Verhoeven is a kickboxing world champion taking his second boxing bout, his first since 2014, and could pull off arguably the biggest upset in boxing history.
- Oleksandr Usyk seeks to extend his near‑17‑year unbeaten streak with a successful title defense.
- Boxing experts including Tony Bellew, Malik Scott, Darren Barker, Anthony Crolla, Terence Crawford, Eddie Hearn, Richie Woodhall, Alistair Overeem, Stacey Copeland, Adam Smith, and Sergio Mora, all predict a Usyk victory, most forecasting a stoppage between rounds 4 and 8.
- BBC Sport will provide live radio and text commentary of the fight from 22:00 BST on Saturday via BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds, and its website/app.
Why it matters: Usyk’s win extends his 17‑year unbeaten run and secures WBC title revenue, while a Verhoeven upset would hand a kickboxing star a historic boxing breakthrough, reshaping cross‑discipline match‑ups.
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