Oleksandr Usyk retained his world heavyweight titles in Egypt with a controversial 11th-round stoppage victory over boxing newcomer Rico Verhoeven.
In only his second professional boxing match, Verhoeven was the obvious aggressor for extended periods, surprising the legendary Usyk in an unexpected manner.
In an unexpectedly close match, Ukrainian Usyk delivered a final push and connected with a precise left uppercut that knocked the Dutchman down.
Verhoeven managed to finish the count, but a rapid series of punches in the final seconds of the round led the referee to intervene and stop the fight – a call that seemed quite unfair to the challenger.
When the fight was stopped, the scorecards recorded scores of 95-95, 95-95, and 96-94 in favor of Verhoeven.
“This fight was hard. It was a good fight,” Usyk said.
In a competition where many anticipated showcasing the divide between elite boxing backgrounds and crossover aspirations, unbeaten Usyk appeared unusually sluggish.
The 39-year-old—a three-time undisputed champion who dominated at both cruiserweight and heavyweight—discovered a method to secure his 25th professional victory, but his rival contested the result.
Kickboxing icon Verhoeven, 37, termed it a “premature ending” and requested a rematch, though he stated it depended on Usyk.
“I wanted the referee to either allow me to fight until the end or stop the match in the 12th round.” “I thought we were quite balanced on the scorecards,” Verhoeven stated.
Usyk’s WBC championship was at stake, and the fight also served as a defense of his WBA ‘super’ title—though Verhoeven wouldn’t have qualified to claim that version of the title in case of an upset.
The IBF approved the match but did not endorse its championship title.
The Pyramids of Giza towered above a specially constructed outdoor venue for one of boxing’s most remarkable world title bouts in recent history.
A legendary kickboxing heavyweight who dominated his sport for over 4,000 days, Verhoeven dashed to the ring at approximately 01:10 local time, accompanied by entertainers dressed as Egyptian pharaohs, while Usyk appeared in a gladiator-themed costume adorned with a golden helmet.
Verhoeven, who claimed his unpredictability could challenge Usyk, began energetically with continuous movement, successfully landing a strong right hand to the body.
Usyk delivered a precise double uppercut in the second round, but Verhoeven took it well and countered with a pair of right punches.
Boxing legends such as Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, Terence Crawford, Gennady Golovkin, and Anthony Joshua observed from ringside, accompanied by Hollywood actor Jason Statham, who is credited with facilitating the fight’s organization.
A second right hand from Verhoeven connected squarely with Usyk in the third round.
Usyk, frequently the sport’s expert in patience, had to search within himself. He quickly answered in the fourth, damaging Verhoeven with a straight right and sharp left.
“Get back to your boxing; you’re getting too greedy, trying to land and getting caught,” Verhoeven’s trainer Peter Fury warned his man.
Verhoeven reached the sixth round for the first time in his fighting career—kickboxing matches are limited to five rounds, and his only earlier professional boxing match concluded within two.
He adhered to the coach’s guidance, and a sluggish Usyk was shaken once more in the eighth by a right hand, but the champion sprang to life in the 10th and 11th, delivering a barrage of punches and consistently connecting with the uppercut—the strike that had provided him his greatest success throughout the night.
Verhoeven discarded his gumshield as Usyk quickly complained about the extra time allowed for his opponent to recuperate.
Usyk charged forward once more and felt the end approaching. Verhoeven showed evident pain, and a stoppage might have occurred in the 12th round if the bout had proceeded.
It can be argued that Verhoeven deserved the opportunity to complete it.
Instead, the referee intervened and dismissed what will be remembered as a controversial stoppage.
