Chris Oliver expects Oleksandr Usyk to put kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven to the sword when the two fight live on DAZN PPV this weekend.
Boxing betting tips: Saturday May 23
2pts Oleksandr Usyk to win in rounds 5-8 at 2/1 (Ladbrokes, Coral)
2pts Hamzah Sheeraz to win in rounds 1-4 at 6/4 (General)
1pt Shakhram Giyasov to win by decision at 100/30 (Ladbrokes, Coral)
Boxing will take place between the Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt, on Saturday night as OLEKSANDR USYK takes on kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven, live on DAZN PPV.
With an amazing 24-0 record, Usyk has faced and beaten every major rival (twice, in some cases) at cruiserweight and heavyweight, and nobody could begrudge him cashing in with a novelty match like this. What has irked many, though, is the ridiculous decision by the WBC to sanction it as a world title fight.
After all, Verhoeven has only boxed once before and that was back in 2014 against a rival with a 0-5 record, so there is no way he should challenging for the heavyweight title and holding up the title aspirations of deserving challengers in the process.
Verhoeven brings an impressive CV from his own sport, having been heavyweight champion in kickboxing for over 10 years, and he is arguably the best fighter of all time in that discipline.
He is known for his boxing skills in that sphere and at 6’5”, around 30lb heavier than his opponent here and being three years younger than Usyk at 36, Verhoeven has some physical advantages.
However, it is nothing that Usyk hasn’t seen before and it’s hard to conceive a scenario in which he doesn’t justify prohibitive odds of 1/16.
It’s the novelty of this contest and the unique setting which is the draw, not the actual fight itself and that is why Verhoeven is as big as 14/1.
These crossover fights have become more common in recent years, and many will point to the success Francis Ngannou had against Tyson Fury when dropping and almost getting the decision over ‘The Gypsy King’ as a reason for hope for Verhoeven. However, unlike Fury, there is no chance that Usyk will take this lightly and the consummate professional is sure to turn up in tip-top shape.
Usyk is the best heavyweight, and arguably best fighter, of his generation and he should make that very evident by adding another victory to his ledger with little fuss.
The likeable Ukrainian’s ring IQ is second to none, as is his ridiculous work-rate for a heavyweight, while his superb feet and accuracy from the southpaw stance make him a big man the like of which we have never seen before.
He cemented his place as the best of this era with back-to-back decision wins over the aforementioned Fury in 2024 and there is little left for him to do in this sport, aside from defending his titles in his home country. He has assembled his amazing CV on the road, and nobody deserves a homecoming more than Usyk, but the war with Russia means that is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Usyk was more aggressive when stopping Daniel Dubois for the second time in five rounds at Wembley last summer and he is just 1/4 to gain another inside-the-distance victory this weekend.
He isn’t always that assertive early doors, though, and has typically made his name by outfoxing his opponents and ramping up the pressure late on when they are tired.
Boxing around the target using smart feints and front foot pressure, he is always in range and makes you fight much harder than you want to early on. However, his movement makes him a very elusive target, and he has his foes in fifth gear from the off while he is still in cruise control. Once his opponents have depleted their gas tank, Usyk then goes through the gears, and nobody has been able to live with him down the stretch so far.
It could be a very similar scenario here as Verhoeven may not do things in an orthodox manner, coming from a different sport, and Usyk may want to just ‘have a look’ at him in the opening sessions.
The Dutchman knows his best chance of causing a monumental upset is by imposing himself and in landing something meaningful early on. However, the chances of that are slim and, being used to boxing five three-minute rounds in kickboxing, he may not be able to maintain those tactics for too long. That is when Usyk can turn up the heat and put this fight to bed.
It’s never easy predicting the outcome of a fight when you have very little evidence to work from with one man, but I see an early onslaught from Verhoeven petering out after a few rounds and Usyk then going on the offensive to take his man out.
Therefore, a victory for the favourite in rounds five to eight could be the way to go in a main event which should be pretty one-sided once Usyk decides he has seen enough of his kickboxing foe.
Sheer class
There are two Brits bidding to win a world title for the first time on the undercard, and one who should succeed is HAMZAH SHEERAZ, who battles Alem Begic for the vacant WBO super middleweight belt.
Terrence Crawford’s retirement after winning all the belts from ‘Canelo’ Alvarez last year means the 168lbs division is wide open now and Sheeraz can make a claim to be the new head of the table with an emphatic victory.
Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) has a lot less on his plate than in his previous world title tilt, when he escaped with a draw against the underrated Carles Adames for the latter’s middleweight belt.
However, a change in trainer to Andy Lee and a move up to this weight produced a career-best performance from Sheeraz when last seen 10 months ago, as he battered and stopped Edgar Berlanga in five rounds. He did what Canelo couldn’t do by halting Berlanga in a very impressive performance, and he arguably has an easier assignment now.
Begic may be unbeaten (29-0-1, 23 KOs) but closer inspection of his recorded reveals he has faced mainly very moderate opposition, and the German has never fought outside of Europe before.
A 12/1 outsider here, his draw with Tiran Metz (16-4-4 at the time) in 2019 doesn’t suggest he is up to this level and he is 39 years old now, so the time it has taken to work his way up the rankings by beating lacklustre foes could work against him now he gets his shot.
Sheeraz is a best price of 1/16 and, with his long levers and knockout power, he can make the most of Begic’s slow feet by getting in range to land his bombs from early in the fight.
On the back of a fine jab, Sheeraz is very accurate and puts his power punches together very well with hurtful combinations, as Berlanga found out.
Again, it is just 1/4 for the favourite to win by stoppage and I don’t expect this to last too long, so I prefer the 13/8 on offer about Sheeraz getting rid of his man within the first four rounds.
Value underdog
Chorley’s Jack Catterall has much more on his plate when he squares off against SHAKHRAM GIYASOV for the vacant WBA ‘regular’ welterweight title.
Catterall deserves a belt around his waist after famously being robbed of his crowning moment when losing a hotly-disputed decision to Josh Taylor in 2022. He eventually gained revenge in 2024 but his tendency to be too patient and his failure to commit cost him when dropping a split decision to Arnold Barboza Jr just over a year ago.
Now up at welterweight, he is an 8/13 favourite to prevail here after a more aggressive performance under new coach ‘Bozy’ Ennis when stopping Ekow Essuman in the 11th session of their November bout.
However, the unavailability of Ennis for this one means Catterall (32-2, 14 KOs) has had to change trainer again and he is now with Stephen Smith in Liverpool, with another switch in coach unlikely to be ideal for the favourite.
Not many of his fans would have heard of Giyasov but make no mistake, he is a very serious test for Catterall and brings an outstanding pedigree to the table.
The Uzbek, who can be backed at 2/1, won Olympic silver in 2016 and scooped gold at the World Championships the following year, so he demands the utmost respect.
Boxing politics have seen Giyasov have only 17 fights as a professional, but he has won them all (10 early) and he set up this opportunity with a good fourth-round stoppage of Franco Ocampo just over a year ago.
With long arms and excellent fundamentals, Giyasov goes to the body very well and he is a tough night’s work for any welterweight right now.
At his best, Catterall’s superior experience as a professional and sharp-shooting from the southpaw stance could be enough for him to prevail. However, anything less than his best may not suffice.
In what is likely to be a technical boxing match with not too much action, Giyasov looks a big price to win by decision at 10/3, with Catterall just 5/6 to triumph by the same method.
Catterall has a habit of giving rounds away by not being active enough and he can make fights much closer than they should be as a result. With that in mind and this likely to go the distance, the value looks to be with the underdog.
Posted at 11:10 BST on 22/05/26
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