WBC Board Reverses Course, Sanctions Usyk–Verhoeven as Title Defense

Interim challenger Agit Kabayel confirmed next under current WBC rankings

The WBC has formally sanctioned Oleksandr Usyk’s May 23 bout with Rico Verhoeven as a heavyweight title defense. The approval follows earlier public comments suggesting no request had been made.

Less than a day after WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said there had been no formal discussion about title status, the WBC Board of Governors confirmed it had received a petition and voted to approve the bout as Usyk’s voluntary defense.

Usyk was granted a voluntary defense at last year’s WBC convention. The Board’s ruling states that a formal request was later submitted to apply that provision to the Verhoeven bout scheduled for May 23 in Egypt. The approval followed that written petition, not a late-stage promotional adjustment.

The fight’s status is now clear. The WBC heavyweight title will be defended under standard championship rules.

Verhoeven has one professional boxing match on his record, more than a decade ago, and does not appear in the current WBC heavyweight rankings. His opportunity stems from the champion’s voluntary allowance rather than divisional placement or movement through the contender list.

Interim titleholder Agit Kabayel remains the confirmed mandatory challenger. Kabayel’s turn comes after this fight, assuming the sanctioning order proceeds without further revision.

On paper, the structure hasn’t changed. It does not resolve questions about how an unranked crossover opponent secured a sanctioned title shot ahead of active contenders who have stayed within the division and advanced through the rankings.

The WBC’s statement emphasized Usyk’s recent run, citing consecutive wins over Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Daniel Dubois. The organization described that stretch as rare for a modern heavyweight champion and referenced its rules permitting a voluntary defense before the mandatory is due.

The ruling leaves no ambiguity about title status. Attention now turns to how quickly the mandatory position is enforced and whether the order outlined in the regulations is applied without delay.

Kabayel’s position will either be honored next, or the organization will face renewed scrutiny over how it balances rankings and event economics.