Oleksandr Usyk tipped the scales at 233.3 lbs, his career heaviest, for Saturday's bout against Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza. The unbeaten Ukrainian Olympic champion will still fight around 25 pounds lighter than Verhoeven, who weighed in at 258.7 lbs. Usyk said he is not relaxed, noting his concentration is at 100 per cent against an undisputed fighter.

Usyk holds the WBC, WBA and IBF belts, but Verhoeven would claim only the WBC title with a victory, as the other sanctioning bodies plan to declare their titles vacant if the Ukrainian loses. Verhoeven, 37, has fought professionally in boxing just once, 12 years ago, before launching an 11-year unbeaten kickboxing run. The matchup is widely seen as a near-total mismatch, yet the setting and stakes guarantee attention.

Verhoeven described the moment as history being written again at the pyramids. Usyk weighed 227 lbs for his last fight against Daniel Dubois and 226 lbs for the Tyson Fury rematch. If the 24-fight undefeated champion stumbles in Egypt, it would rank among the biggest upsets in boxing history. The ring at the Pyramids adds spectacle, but the odds lean heavily toward the Ukrainian maintaining his record.