Oleksandr Usyk will defend his WBC title against Rico Verhoeven, but the unified champion’s IBF and WBA belts could be in jeopardy.
The Ukrainian star announced he will face kickboxer Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza, and the WBC has confirmed Usyk will make a voluntary defense of his heavyweight belt on May 23.
Usyk also holds the IBF and WBA belts, but it remains unclear whether the two organizations will agree to put the belts on the line against Verhoeven.
The undefeated 39-year-old relinquished his WBO belt in October, with mandatory challenger Fabio Wardley promoted to become the new WBO champion, but Usyk could be ordered to fulfill his obligation to win more titles.
Derek Chisora defeated Otto Wallin in an IBF eliminator last February, and promoter Kalle Sauerland is lobbying for Chisora to take the fight for the vacant IBF belt.
Sauerland, who is in charge of promoting Chisora vs. Deontay Wilder on April 4, told Sky Sports: “Olexandr Usyk is already a legend in boxing, a unified world champion in both cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. I was very proud to put a fourth belt around his waist in the ring in 2018, but he has obviously passed on and done the same at heavyweight.”
“But a sport is a sport and there are plenty of other gladiators out there, two of whom, Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora, have had great careers, culminating in a huge fight at the O2 on April 4th.
“And Oleksandr Usyk has never made a mandatory defense as IBF heavyweight champion during his reign as IBF heavyweight champion.
“Given that Chisora currently sits at the top of the heavyweight rankings and so does Wilder, having them fight for the belt would be an incredible addition given the high profile of this fight.
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Deontay Wilder has warned Derek Chisora that their friendship will be sidelined if the two face off in a press conference.
“That’s the politics of boxing. We will be in talks with the IBF to see if there is anything that can resolve the situation and will lobby for such a move.”
“At the same time, I completely understand that boxing is also a business and a fight with Verhoeven is a fight that gets a lot of attention. If you look at AJ and Tyson (Fury) having similar fights, you could almost say along those lines that he deserves a payday too. But that doesn’t affect the continuation of boxing.”
Al Siesta helps guide the career of WBA “regular” champion Murat Gassiev (Photo courtesy of IBA Pro)
Usyk vacated the IBF title in June 2024, but regained it in a rematch with Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium last July.
Murat Gassiev, who holds the WBA “Regular” title, also wants clarity on when Usyk will defend his WBA “Super” belt.
IBA pro promoter Al Siesta, who co-promotes Gassiev, told Sky Sports: “It certainly presents an interesting situation for the WBA title. Murat is a proud WBA champion and he just wants to fight the best. Whether it’s Usyk,[Moses]Itauma or Joshua, it doesn’t matter to Murat. He’s ready for anyone.”
“We are currently awaiting word from our friends at the WBA regarding Usyk’s status as a ‘super’ champion. Usyk has not made a mandatory defense of his WBA title since August 2023 (against Daniel Dubois), but we understand that he has been involved in major unification fights.”
“It appears he now wants to maximize his income and hold ‘event’ matches against kickboxers and the like. All we ask is that this does not detract from his activities at heavyweight.”
“This is a similar situation to the WBO stripping Usyk of his decision not to face (mandatory challenger) Fabio Wardley. This has progressed the weight class and now we see a great fight between Wardley and Dubois in May. We will be watching this great fight very closely. It is a dream for Murat to face the winner in England and I believe whoever the winner is will be a blockbuster fight for Murat in the future.”
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Murat Gassiev knocks out Kubrat Pulev with a powerful punch! The main event of IBA Boxing at IBA Pro 13 in Dubai was Pulev vs. Gassiev. Photo provided by: DAZN
“If the WBA title is not on the line for Usyk against Verhoeven, it makes logical sense to either strip him of his title or make him a ‘resting champion’. Murat could then be elevated to ‘super’ champion. Murat can promise to defend his WBA title proudly against the most deserving opponent – he has no interest in gimmick fights.”
“So if Usyk wants to get the title back, Murat will be happy to go along with it.
“Remember, when we first met in July 2018, Usyk was the same age as Murat is now. I think experience was a big factor in that fight. Murat is no puppy now. As we saw against (Kuvrat) Pulev in December, he is a fully grown heavyweight with devastating knockout power.”
Usyk defeated Gassiev on points in July 2018 to become the undisputed world cruiserweight champion.
The Russian has since joined Usyk at heavyweight, winning the WBA “regular” title with an explosive six-round stoppage in December.
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WBC No. 1 ranked contender Lawrence Okolie believes current champion Oleksandr Usyk will vacate the title after his next bout with kickboxer Rico Verhoeven.
Interim WBC champion Agit Kabael is expected to be Usyk’s next challenger.
However, WBC No. 1 contender and former British cruiserweight world champion Lawrence Okolie fully expects Usyk to eventually relinquish the WBC title, clearing the way for him to fight Kabael for the vacant belt.
“I think he’s at a stage where he’s not interested in a hard-fought fight against someone who’s not giving him the kind of money that he’s making, and I think Ajit fits into that category,” Okolie told Sky Sports’ Toe to Toe podcast.
Sky Sports News has contacted Usyk’s promotion team, IBF and WBA.
