Billed as "Glory in Giza" and sponsored by The Ring, the boxing match and special event is set to take place on May 23 at the iconic Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) is The Ring, IBF, WBA and WBC champion, and one of the immediate reactions to the fight was that Verhoeven was undeserving to jump the line of legitimate heavyweight contenders to get a crack at the Ukrainian's crown.

On Sunday, the WBC announced it would sanction the fight and explained in detail why.

"After careful consideration, the WBC Board of Governors has ruled in favor of sanctioning WBC world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk’s voluntary title defense against legendary kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven.

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

"Usyk has showcased incredible activity in recent years, facing and defeating champions in his division like Anthony Joshua twice, Tyson Fury twice, and Daniel Dubois twice. He did all of that while maintaining his undefeated record. In reaching its approval decision, the WBC Board of Governors considered Usyk’s activity, which is unprecedented, especially in the heavyweight division.

"Rico has been competing professionally at an elite kickboxing level since 2005. Over the course of two decades, while maintaining that very highest level of competition, he has established himself as arguably one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxing champions of all time.

"Rico’s professional journey has been exceptional, which includes headlining and selling out major stadium arenas in front of 30,000 and 40,000 spectators worldwide. At 36 years of age, he competed in 76 professional kickboxing fights. Rico just recently vacated the Glory Kickboxing heavyweight title after going undefeated for 11 years.

"The transition from kickboxing to boxing is not unprecedented. Many Muay Thai athletes have successfully crossed over into professional boxing and competed for WBC titles early in their boxing careers. This WBC decision is within the WBC rules and regulations.

"The pyramids of Egypt will give this event historic importance and surroundings. That has been the dream of many, including our beloved WBC President Jose Sulaiman."

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.