World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman unveiled the custom “King of the Nile” commemorative belt on Friday for the upcoming heavyweight crossover fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
Click Here To Watch Wardley vs. Dubois LIVE!
The belt continues the WBC’s trend of creating location-themed championship designs tied to major events.
The large red centerpiece resembles a ceremonial ruby-style jewel. If the stone were a genuine museum-grade ruby of that apparent size, the belt’s value could soar dramatically and create major transport, insurance, and security considerations. A high-end natural stone could theoretically be worth more than the manufacturing cost of the rest of the belt combined.
For a one-off WBC commemorative piece tied to a Saudi-backed event at the Pyramids, a production cost in the several-thousand-dollar range would not be surprising.
Egyptian-Inspired Design
The belt continues the WBC’s recent trend of creating location-themed championship designs tied to major events, although this version may be one of the sanctioning body’s most detailed releases yet.
The center plate features heavy Egyptian influence throughout the design, including a winged Horus symbol stretching across the top of the belt with a large red jewel placed in the middle. The gold background is covered with geometric patterns resembling ancient carvings, while the bottom portion includes the crook and flail symbols associated with Egyptian pharaohs and royal authority.
The traditional WBC ring of international flags remains around the outer border, blending the organization’s standard championship imagery with the Egypt-inspired artwork.
Sulaiman Unveils Belt
I couldn’t resist to show this beauty
The King of the Nile commemorative belt #UsykRico I hope my social media team doesn’t mind me showing it now ! @usykaa @RiyadhSeason @ringmagazine @Turki_alalshikh @WBCBoxing @MatchroomBoxing pic.twitter.com/f8zlBODq9W— Mauricio Sulaiman (@wbcmoro) May 9, 2026
Glory In Giza Theme
The belt will be awarded to the winner of the May 23 event, which has been branded “Glory in Giza” and will stream live on DAZN from one of the most unusual venues used for a major boxing card.
Usyk enters the fight as the unified heavyweight champion and WBC titleholder, while Verhoeven makes the move from kickboxing into one of the highest-profile crossover bouts boxing has attempted in recent years.
The event itself has already drawn attention because of its location and spectacle-driven presentation, and the WBC’s latest commemorative belt appears designed to match that theme. Rather than using a traditional layout alone, the organization turned the belt into a visual centerpiece tied directly to the Egyptian setting and “King of the Nile” branding surrounding the fight.
Last Updated on 2026/05/09 at 12:03 PM
Read the full article here