Rico Verhoeven Uses Personal Tragedy of Her Mother’s Passing as Fuel for Oleksandr Usyk Fight
Rico Verhoeven is set for the biggest boxing fight of his career against heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in Egypt. The crossover heavyweight clash will happen this weekend and has already created massive excitement among boxing and kickboxing fans.
The fight will take place at the historic Giza Necropolis beside the legendary Pyramids of Giza near Cairo, Egypt. Organizers are promoting the event as “Glory in Giza,” making it one of boxing’s most unique venues ever.
Rico Verhoeven’s mother, Jacqueline, passed away in early 2026, but her exact cause of death was never publicly revealed. In a recent interview, the fighter talked about why this upcoming fight matters a lot to him.
“My mother passed away. How’s that a positive thing? It is not. But I have to do something with it to make it easier for me to cope with. So she passed away, and we had to clean out her house. And what happened is we came by pictures of her being in Egypt. Like, how crazy is that? I wanted to recreate that exact picture. I want it to be in that spot where she was 30 years prior,” Verhoeven via Matchroom Boxing.
SHOP: Kickboxing Equipment
Heavyweight veteran backs Rico Verhoeven to beat Oleksandr Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk enters the bout as the reigning heavyweight boxing champion, while Verhoeven arrives after dominating kickboxing for over a decade. Many fans view the matchup as a rare crossover spectacle between two champions from completely different combat sports backgrounds.
For Verhoeven, this fight is an opportunity to prove himself against one of boxing’s greatest modern heavyweights today. Usyk has also praised Verhoeven’s athleticism and dedication, showing mutual respect before their highly anticipated showdown in Egypt this weekend.
Many experts have given their opinion on the upcoming fight, including Derek Chisora, who recently shared his prediction. “I think Usyk loses this fight in Egypt. I’m telling you, he might beat Usyk. The kickboxer is gonna win it,” said Derek Chisora via DAZN.
Both fighters have shown immense mutual respect and are eager to step inside the ring. It will be interesting to see who will take the lead this Saturday in Egypt.
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