Boxing Mar 17, 2026

Peter Fury to train Rico Verhoeven ahead of Oleksandr Usyk WBC heavyweight title fight in Egypt

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Peter Fury to train Rico Verhoeven ahead of Oleksandr Usyk WBC heavyweight title fight in Egypt

Peter Fury has confirmed he will be involved in Rico Verhoeven's training camp ahead of his shock fight for Oleksandr Usyk's WBC title on May 23. 

Heavyweight champion kickboxer Verhoeven is scheduled to take on three-time undisputed champion Usyk in a boxing bout in Giza, Egypt, with the WBC confirming that the Ukrainian is making a voluntary defence of his belt.

Fury, the uncle of Tyson Fury, will once again collaborate with Verhoeven to work on his boxing as he gears up for the second professional bout of his career.

Verhoeven has held the Glory heavyweight title for over 11 years as one of the greatest kickboxers in the history of the sport. His sole professional boxing match to date ended in a second-round knockout victory over Janos Finfera in April 2024.

"Quick update. Just arrived here in London," Fury said on X. "Going home and then back to work. Been away for three months in training camps and now we're off again to the biggest training camp, which is Oleksandr Usyk-Rico Verhoeven in Egypt at the Pyramids.

"It's going to be a great night, a lot of hard work to be done. Two great people, two great champions in their own right, what a privilege.

"Onwards we go, three months away in training camps, Spain, Holland now back to Holland for another three-month training camp."

Usyk will be returning to the ring for the first time since knocking out Daniel Dubois to win the undisputed heavyweight championship for a second time at Wembley Stadium last July.

Having been named undisputed champion at cruiserweight, Usyk repeated the feat at heavyweight in May 2024 when he defeated Tyson Fury by split decision, before following up with a unanimous-decision win in the pair's rematch later that December.

The WBC confirmed in a statement that Usyk's belt will be at stake, but it remains to be seen whether the 39-year-old's IBF and WBA titles will also be on the line.

"After careful consideration, the WBC Board of Governors has ruled in favour of sanctioning WBC World Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk's voluntary title defence against legendary kickboxing Champion Rico Verhoeven," the statement read.

"At its 63rd Annual Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, the WBC granted Champion Usyk a voluntary defence. Subsequently, the WBC received a petition to sanction the Usyk v Herhoeven fight as a voluntary defence."

Agit Kabayel is Usyk's mandatory for the WBC belt after stopping Damian Knyba in January to extend his perfect record to 27-0 following wins over Zhilei Zhang, Frank Sanchez and Arslanbek Makhmudov, who is preparing to face Tyson Fury in April.

Tags:

boxing news

Share this article

Related Posts

Conor Benn targets Ryan Garcia and world title, rules out Floyd Mayweather bout but would box Chris Eubank Jr at 168lbs

Conor Benn targets Ryan Garcia and world title, rules out Floyd Mayweather bout but would box Chris Eubank Jr at 168lbs

Conor Benn will target a “mega-fight” with Ryan Garcia after signing with new promoter Zuffa Boxing, but also revealed he is open to another bout with...

Terri Harper on facing hate: 'Just be your authentic self. Don’t change who you are'

Terri Harper on facing hate: 'Just be your authentic self. Don’t change who you are'

Professional boxing can be a hostile environment for members of the LGBTQ+ community.But Terri Harper, a multi-weight world champion, looks to help wh...

Fabio Wardley to offer Tyson Fury a shot at his WBO world heavyweight championship if he retains against Daniel Dubois

Fabio Wardley to offer Tyson Fury a shot at his WBO world heavyweight championship if he retains against Daniel Dubois

Fabio Wardley has called for a heavyweight showdown with Tyson Fury before the end of the year, as long as he makes a successful defence of the WBO wo...

Katie Taylor: Chantelle Cameron keen to be Irish fighter's opponent in retirement bout, say promoters MVP

Katie Taylor: Chantelle Cameron keen to be Irish fighter's opponent in retirement bout, say promoters MVP

Chantelle Cameron's promoters say they "would love" for the Brit to be Katie Taylor's opponent in the legendary Irish fighter's final professional con...

Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao: Who is favourite and why is fight happening in 2026 in Las Vegas?

Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao: Who is favourite and why is fight happening in 2026 in Las Vegas?

On Monday, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao stunned the boxing world by announcing a professional rematch - 11 years after their first bout.Mayweat...

Daniel Dubois' pre-fight party 'can't happen again' says promoter Frank Warren ahead of Fabio Wardley world title clash

Daniel Dubois' pre-fight party 'can't happen again' says promoter Frank Warren ahead of Fabio Wardley world title clash

The pre-fight ‘party’ that took place ahead of Daniel Dubois’ defeat to Oleksandr Usyk “can’t happen again”, says promoter Frank Warren.Dubois rematch...