Oleksandr Usyk‘s next fight has finally been confirmed.

Usyk was last in action in July when he became undisputed heavyweight champion for the second time with a fifth round knockout victory over Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium.

The Ukrainian vacated his WBO belt later that year, but remains in possession of the WBC, WBA and IBF titles, and had been rumoured for bouts against the likes of Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz Jr.

Instead, it has been announced that he will take on the surprise alternative opponent he has also been linked to – kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven. As per the announcement, Usyk will be making a voluntary defence of his WBC belt, which will lead to legitimate questions over how Verhoeven has been sanctioned as a legitimate challenger.

The ‘Prince of Kickboxing’ has fought just once as a professional boxer, back in April 2014. The IBF and WBA belts are noticeably absent at this stage, meaning Usyk could be vacating them before the fight.

The event will take place at a spectacular venue, with the pair squaring off at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt on May 23. The event is to be broadcast live on DAZN.

Legends collide where legends were built 🥊🦂

On May 23rd, under the shadows of the ancient giants, Oleksandr Usyk takes on Rico Verhoeven at the iconic Pyramids of Giza 🔥

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Glory in Giza | May 23rd | LIVE on DAZN 📺 pic.twitter.com/mHnLT625Du

— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) February 27, 2026

Speaking about the announcement, Usyk explained why he is giving Verhoeven the opportunity.

“I respect people who reach the very top in their sport. Rico is one of them — a powerful athlete and a great champion. Being a champion isn’t just about belts. It’s about years of hard work, discipline, and belief.

“I respect his journey — he’s truly the King of Kickboxing. But this is boxing — a different game, with its own rules and its own kings. I’m ready and really looking forward to meeting him in the ring. It’s going to be a unique experience for both of us, and I know the fans are excited too. A big night is coming!”

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The Ukrainian will be a considerable favourite in the fight, and fans will hope for a more legitimate opponent later in the year.

Arne Slot has launched into a defence of Liverpool’s record spending spree by declaring they bought “great” players who will be a “big, big, big success” at Anfield and insisting they did very well with their money.

Liverpool spent £450m last summer, more than any English club had ever paid out in one transfer window, and broke first their own transfer record to sign Florian Wirtz for £100m and then the British record to buy Alexander Isak for £125m.

Liverpool are only sixth in the Premier League, despite their huge outlay, with Isak, who is currently out with a broken leg, scoring just three goals in 17 games for the club.

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But Slot is confident the Swede and Wirtz, plus top scorer Hugo Ekitike, full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, injured centre-back Giovanni Leoni and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili represent a good use of Liverpool’s budget.

“They are great football players which will be a big, big, big success for this club,” he said. “In general I only ever see, ‘£450m spent, 450, 450, 450’. And no one looks at the circumstances, which are that the £450m is very well spent, very, very, very well spent – one more time, very well spent.”

Slot often points out that, over his time in charge, Liverpool have brought in around £300m so it is not a £450m net spend.

And because of injuries he is not able to put all that £450m on the pitch. He believes he will be without £300m of talent against West Ham on Saturday with Leoni out for the season, Isak for another few weeks and Wirtz missing with a back problem, while Mamardashvili will be on the bench, though Frimpong is able to return.

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But he accepts that Liverpool have not always seen the newcomers at their best, adding: “Alex has not been the Alex of Newcastle, [apart from] maybe 20 minutes at Tottenham, I don’t criticise him because we signed him for six years not six months. Giorgi, we needed him because Caoimh [Kelleher] left but we hardly played with two goalkeepers. Jeremie has been many times injured, Giovanni [is] out for the season. Tomorrow, I miss out on Florian. Him and Hugo and Milos needed time to adapt.”

EA Sports has released the EA FC 26 Georges Mikautadze POTM SBC in Ultimate Team, with the Georgian striker winning the LaLiga Player of the Month award due to his amazing performances over the course of February. The Villareal forward has spearheaded his team’s attacking efforts and led them to the third position in the league table, and he is fully deserving of this 87-rated item.

With the meta of the game evolving at a rapid rate, Player of the Month SBCs have also started to receive two PlayStyles+. The EA FC 26 Georges Mikautadze POTM SBC is an excellent example, as the LaLiga striker now has impressive stats in relevant areas after receiving his very first upgraded item of the season in Ultimate Team.

All tasks and cheapest solutions of the EA FC 26 Georges Mikautadze POTM SBC

Similar to the recently released Joey Veerman Fantasy FC SBC, the EA FC 26 Georges Mikautadze POTM SBC also requires two squads to be unlocked. This will keep the overall cost of the item relatively low despite his impressive attributes and traits, making him a tempting proposition for fans on a low budget.

These are the requirements and cheapest solutions of each segment of the POTM SBC:

Task 1: LaLiga

• LaLiga players: Minimum one in your starting eleven
• Team overall rating: Minimum 84

Solutions:

• Romelu Lukaku: 84
• Alexander Sorloth: 84
• Greggi: 84
• Nusken: 84
• Sergej Milinkovic-Savic: 84
• Alex Greenwood: 84
• Damaris Egurrola: 84
• Fox: 84
• Hampton: 84
• van de Donk: 83
• Ilkay Gundogan: 83

Task 2: Top Form

• Team of the Week players: Minimum one in your starting eleven
• Team overall rating: Minimum 85

Solutions:

• Alexandra Popp: 85
• Foord: 85
• Girelli: 85
• Granit Xhaka: 85
• Giugliano: 85
• Svenja Huth: 85
• Vivianne Miedema: 85
• Kim Little: 85
• Caroline Weir: 85
• Damaris Egurrola: 84
• Reed (TOTW): 84

The requirement of a Team of the Week player in the Top Form segment will raise the overall price of this item, as these versions are relatively more expensive to purchase from the transfer market compared to regular gold items.

Is the EA FC 26 Georges Mikautadze POTM SBC worth it?

The overall expected cost of the SBC is around 32,000 coins. This is a decent price for a well-rounded striker from LaLiga who has four-star skill moves, a four-star weak foot, 88 pace, 90 shooting and 90 dribbling. He also has meta PlayStyles like Finesse Shot+, First Touch+, Pinged Pass, Low Driven Shot, Quickstep and Technical.