WBC Announces 'King of the Nile' Belt for Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven

World Boxing Council creates custom belt for Oleksandr Usyk's title defense against Rico Verhoeven

Apr 29, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman shows off a custom belt during a press conference at KA Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven will be fighting for two WBC belts at 'Glory in Giza.'

Shortly after the matchup was announced, the WBC was the only organization to sanction the fight as an official heavyweight title fight. In addition to its heavyweight title being on the line, the council announced it also created a 'King of the Nile' ceremonial belt that will be on the line in the main event.

The belt features several iconic Egyptian symbols, including the Eye of Horus, crook and flail, and a winged sun disk.

The WBC unveiled the “King of the Nile” ceremonial belt, a masterpiece inspired by ancient Egyptian culture that will be awarded to the winner of the historic clash between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven this Saturday at the Pyramids of Giza. 👑 pic.twitter.com/YKUKIIlryu

— World Boxing Council (@WBCBoxing) May 18, 2026

'Glory in Giza' will be an open-air event at Giza Necropolis directly in front of the Pyramids of Giza. There has never before been a high-level boxing fight directly at the site of a historic landmark, thus making it a massive international spectacle regardless of the fight's logistical setup.

Usyk is also the WBA, IBF and IBO heavyweight champion, but none of those titles will be on the line against Verhoeven. Despite sponsoring and promoting 'Glory in Giza,' Ring Magazine is not putting its belt on the line either.

The 'King of Nile' belt now gives Usyk an opportunity to win another title in his next fight, even without Verhoeven bringing one to the table.

Verhoeven, who has been billed as the 'King of Kickboxing,' only has one professional boxing fight to his name entering the Usyk fight. The Dutchman has not competed in the sport since 2014, when he beat Janos Finfera by second-round knockout.

Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven lock horns in historic battle at Giza

Oleksandr Usyk | Jon Durr-Imagn Images

While Verhoeven lacks boxing experience, he is inarguably the most accomplished active kickboxer in the world. The 37-year-old enters his one-in-a-lifetime fight with Usyk with a 66-10 record in kickboxing, including an active 22-fight win streak.

A boxing fight is not an accurate representation of Verhoeven's full skill set, but it marks a rare occasion when the active heavyweight kickboxing champion gets in the ring with the lineal heavyweight boxing champion. The fight has shades of when former UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou crossed over to fight Tyson Fury in 2023.

Usyk has many other viable contenders to face in the heavyweight division, yet none have the crossover interest that Verhoeven brings to the table. Usyk has spent the last five years going 2-0 against each of Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois and Fury, the three best heavyweights of the current era.