But if Usyk were to beat the kickboxing star May 23 at Pyramids of Giza in Giza, Egypt, the sanctioning body will count that victory as a successful title defense for The Ring, IBF, WBA and WBC champion.

“Following a special request submitted to the organization, the WBA reviewed the case and authorized the Ukrainian star to enter the bout carrying his championship status,” the WBA announced on its website Wednesday. “However, the title itself will not be at stake for Verhoeven, as he is currently not ranked by the sanctioning body.

“Should Usyk emerge victorious, the bout will officially count as a successful title defense. If the champion were to lose, the WBA Championship Committee would then review his status and determine the next course of action regarding the heavyweight championship. As for Verhoeven, a victory would not earn him any WBA title recognition, although it would make him eligible to enter the organization’s heavyweight rankings.”

The WBC previously announced it approved Usyk-Verhoeven as a title fight. The Netherlands’ Verhoeven would win the WBC belt if he pulls off what would go down as one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

The IBF announced Thursday that its title would also become vacant if Verhoeven upsets Usyk.

As it relates to the WBA, the immediate beneficiary of an Usyk defeat would likely be Murat Gassiev. The 32-year-old Russian holds the WBA’s secondary heavyweight title.

The former cruiserweight champion would either be elevated if Verhoeven wins or ordered to fight for the possibly vacant title against Moses Itauma (14-0, 12 KOs), ranked No. 6 by The Ring and No. 1 by the WBA. Gassiev (33-2, 26 KOs) is No. 9 in The Ring’s ratings.

Those scenarios might never come about, as Usyk remains the overwhelming favorite, 25-1 according to DraftKings. Although he’s 39, The Ring’s No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. He didn’t have a very active 2025, but he made the most of his lone appearance by stopping Daniel Dubois to become a three-time undisputed champion.

As for Verhoeven, this will be just his second pro boxing match and his first since he knocked out Janos Finfera (then 0-5) in the second round 12 years ago. He does, however, have over 60 wins in his legendary kickboxing career.

DAZN will stream The Ring card headlined by Usyk versus Verhoeven. The event is included for subscribers to DAZN’s Ultimate plan ($49.99 per month in the United States; £24.99 in the UK) and is available via pay-per-view for non-subscribers ($59.99 in the U.S.; £24.99 in the UK).