This Saturday, at the unusual setting of the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, Oleksandr Usyk will defend his WBC heavyweight world title against kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven. On paper, the fight appears to be one of the most outrageous mismatches ever seen in boxing history with a world title on the line, but the undercard of “Glory in Giza” also features several much more competitive bouts. Here are my analyses and predictions for the five fights on the main card.
Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven – WBC Heavyweight World Title
There is little point in spending too many words on a fight that makes virtually no sense. A boxing world champion cannot realistically be troubled by a kickboxer who has had only one professional boxing match in his life, twelve years ago, against a very modest opponent.
Verhoeven does not even possess the explosiveness needed to hope for a “puncher’s chance”: his knockout percentage in kickboxing is rather low and his hand speed is not exceptional. The fight will go exactly the way Usyk decides it should go. The Ukrainian may want to entertain the crowd and prolong the show before closing the deal, but once he decides to get serious, Verhoeven will have no way to survive.
Prediction: Usyk by KO between rounds six and eight.
Jack Catterall vs Shakhram Giyasov – WBA Regular Welterweight World Title
Giyasov turned professional with enormous expectations after winning a silver medal at the Rio Olympics and a gold medal at the World Championships in Hamburg. However, his pro career has been much slower and more anonymous than many expected.
In nearly eight years, the Uzbek has fought only seventeen times, has not faced elite opposition, and has never truly looked destined for greatness. That lack of high-level competitive experience could hurt him against his opponent this Saturday.
Catterall is not a superstar, but he has already shared the ring with top fighters, suffered setbacks, lost, and rebuilt himself. Moreover, his excellent counter-punching skills could prove extremely valuable against a fighter like Giyasov, who has often shown a tendency to attack too recklessly and aggressively.
Prediction: Catterall by unanimous decision.
Frank Sanchez vs Richard Torrez Jr – IBF Heavyweight Eliminator
In my opinion, this is the most interesting fight of the night. The rising Torrez wants to confirm his status after last year’s impressive victory over Italy’s Guido Vianello, while the more experienced Sanchez is trying to bounce back after the beating he suffered against Agit Kabayel severely slowed his career in 2024.
The dynamics of those two fights suggest that Torrez should enter this matchup as the favorite. The American troubled Vianello with his ability to fight effectively at close range, while Sanchez showed significant weaknesses in infighting situations, appearing helpless against Kabayel’s pressure and inside work.
If Torrez manages to close the distance quickly enough and avoid Sanchez’s long-range shots, he could drag the Cuban onto unfavorable terrain and gain the upper hand on the scorecards. Sanchez, mindful of the lesson he learned two years ago, will try to move constantly and avoid getting trapped on the ropes, but I believe Torrez’s greater freshness will eventually prevail.
Prediction: Torrez by unanimous decision.
Hamzah Sheeraz vs Alem Begic – WBO Super Middleweight World Title
In this case, the gap in quality is similar to the one in the main event. Begic’s record looks impressive only numerically, but from a qualitative standpoint his résumé is mediocre at best. Videos of some of his knockouts are available online, and the lack of resilience shown by many of the fighters he stopped is astonishing.
Begic, who is already 39 years old, has never faced a truly high-level opponent, and this Saturday he will almost certainly endure a brutal punishment. In my view, Sheeraz, who carries tremendous power in both hands, will have no difficulty scoring an early knockout and beginning his reign as world champion at super middleweight.
Prediction: Sheeraz by KO within three rounds.
Mizuki Hiruta vs Mai Soliman – WBO Women’s Super Flyweight World Title
The records of the two fighters competing for this world title are similar: 10 wins for Hiruta, 10 wins and only one loss for Soliman. However, their styles, characteristics, and careers are quite different.
The Japanese southpaw Hiruta has been world champion for three and a half years, has already faced several high-level opponents, and relies primarily on speed, footwork, and timing. Australia’s Soliman, on the other hand, is a hard puncher whose entire career has taken place in Australia and whose résumé appears devoid of truly demanding opposition.
The difference in elite-level experience and the technical gap should strongly favor the reigning champion, even though Soliman still possesses the classic “puncher’s chance.” It nevertheless seems unlikely that her power will rescue her again as it did in her last fight at home, which she won by TKO despite being clearly behind on the scorecards and heavily marked up.
Prediction: Hiruta by unanimous decision.