Turki Alalshikh Teases Oleksandr Usyk's Next Fight, Reveals Location

Turki Alalshikh Victor Fraile-Imagn Images

Turki Alalshikh Teases Oleksandr Usyk's Next Fight, Reveals Location

Originally posted on KO on SI | By Jaren Kawada | Last updated May 21, 2026 6:44 PM ET

While Oleksandr Usyk vows he is not looking past Rico Verhoeven, Turki Alalshikh is already planning the heavyweight champion's next fight.

Usyk is scheduled to put the WBC heavyweight belt on the line against Verhoeven in the 'Glory in Giza' main event on Saturday in his seventh consecutive world title fight. The matchup is Usyk's fourth consecutive in collaboration with Alalshikh, who revealed he is already working on the 39-year-old's next outing.

"We are planning something now to give to Usyk in the future," Alalshikh said at the 'Glory in Giza' press conference. "I know he doesn't want to talk about the future, but we are planning, and I want to give a small secret. We are planning to do something amazing in Istanbul. Help us, people of Istanbul, to do something amazing near Hagia Sophia next year, InshAllah."

USYK IN ISTANBUL NEXT YEAR ‼️

Turki Alalshikh announces that Oleksandr Usyk is set to fight in another special event in 2027

Glory in Giza | May 23rd | LIVE on DAZN pic.twitter.com/rLYUjEL964
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 21, 2026

Usyk is not officially signed to Alalshikh's Riyadh Season, but he has worked almost exclusively with the Saudi promoter since his first fight with Tyson Fury in May 2024. 'The Cat' parted with his longtime promoter, Alex Krassyuk, just before his second win over Daniel Dubois in July 2025.

Usyk's upcoming fight with Verhoeven is the first-ever at the Pyramids of Giza and will be an open-air event in front of the international landmark. Alalshikh is now eyeing another blockbuster event at a historic site, this time targeting one of the world's most iconic mosques.

Oleksandr Usyk puts WBC title on the line against Rico Verhoeven

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Alalshikh's plan is heavily contingent on Usyk getting past Verhoeven, which the Ukrainian is widely expected to do. Usyk is closing as a 20-1 favorite across most sportsbooks and is a 4-1 favorite to win the fight by knockout.

Usyk, 24-0, has fought nothing other than the cream of the crop of the heavyweight division since moving up from cruiserweight in 2019. Although he is admittedly near the end of his career, he has yet to show any signs of aging and now faces a 37-year-old Verhoeven who only has one previous boxing fight to his name.

Since his most recent win over Dubois, Usyk has been clear about his intent to fight three more times before retiring, which he promises he will not return from. He doubled down on that plan at the 'Glory in Giza' presser, saying he has just two more fights after Verhoeven before walking away.

Barring another fight before the end of the year, Usyk will likely turn 40 before Alalshikh's planned event in Istanbul.

This article first appeared on KO on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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