Oleksandr Usyk made the scale move higher than it ever has in his boxing career, but Rico Verhoeven still walked away with the size advantage before their Glory In Giza title fight.
Usyk weighed 233.3 pounds at Friday’s official weigh-in. Verhoeven came in at 258.7 pounds, putting the Dutch kickboxing great 25.4 pounds above the unbeaten Ukrainian champion.
The fight takes place Saturday, May 23, at the Giza Necropolis in Egypt, with the WBA and WBC heavyweight titles on the line. Usyk brings a 24-0 record with 15 knockouts. Verhoeven is 1-0 in professional boxing, but his kickboxing résumé is the real reason this matchup exists, with a listed 66-10 record and 21 knockouts plus a long GLORY heavyweight title run.
The official weigh-in post is below.
‼️ Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven official weigh-in results:
🇺🇦 Oleksandr Usyk – 233.3 lbs
🇳🇱 Rico Verhoeven – 258.7 lbsGlory in Giza | May 23rd | LIVE on DAZN 🥊 pic.twitter.com/ExJlqfG1XK
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 22, 2026
Verhoeven Keeps The Bigger Body As Usyk Adds Heavyweight Size
Usyk was around 215 pounds when he made his heavyweight debut in 2019. The move from cruiserweight was never about becoming the biggest man in the division. It was about keeping his feet, timing, and angles sharp enough to make larger opponents miss and reset.
The 233.3-pound number shows how far he has built into the division. He is also seven pounds heavier than he was for his last fight, a knockout win over Daniel Dubois in July 2025. That added weight gives him more physical cover for a night where Verhoeven will try to turn every exchange into a strength test.
Verhoeven was lighter than he was for his last kickboxing win over Artem Vakhitov at GLORY 100, but the size gap is still obvious. At 6-foot-5, he brings a naturally larger frame, a kickboxing champion’s clinch habits, and the kind of collision experience that does not show up on a boxing record.
Verhoeven told BBC Sport that his style could make the fight different from Usyk’s usual heavyweight assignments.
“Usyk has pulled the puzzle of boxing out and put it back together, but I’m not a traditional boxer – I’m a kickboxer.”
“My stance is different, my movement is different, and I am a naturally big, athletic guy.”
“When I hit him, he’s going to feel a natural 20-kilo weight difference.”
A separate press conference faceoff clip is below.
https://www.tiktok.com/@ringmagazine/video/7642406089669037326
Usyk has already handled elite boxing heavyweights across fights with Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Dubois. Verhoeven’s path is more specific. He has to close space, make the champion carry weight in the clinch, and turn the early rounds into a physical argument before Usyk’s footwork starts deciding where the fight happens.
