HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING KING Oleksandr Usyk retained his titles with a dramatic and controversial stoppage victory over kick-boxer Rico Verhoeven with a second left of the 11th round in Egypt on Saturday.
In the shadow of the Great Pyramid of Giza, Verhoeven had rocked the Ukrainian champion and seemed to be leading before he was dropped and eventually stopped.
Despite having fought the likes of former champions Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, Usyk was perhaps given his toughest ever heavyweight fight by a man who had only boxed once before, in 2014.
Verhoeven is a legend of kickboxing but no one expected him to cause the great Usyk so many problems in a boxing bout.
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But until the controversial stoppage, he had proved to be more than a tricky competitor and gave Usyk a huge scare.
His jerky style, bulldozing aggression and powerful right hand had troubled a sluggish-looking Usyk for most of the fight.
But as an exhausted Verhoeven started to labour in the 11th round, Usyk unleashed a stunning uppercut to drop the Dutchman.
There were only seconds left of the round to survive after Verhoeven climbed off the canvas, but Usyk went straight in for the finish, unleashing a flurry of punches before the referee called off the bout with Verhoeven stumbling but still on his feet.
With so little time left in the round, it seemed a hugely controversial call from the referee.
Despite Verhoeven soaking up heavy punishment, he was likely still leading the fight.
He had started well, landing a couple of vicious right hands in the opening round.
Usyk struggled to find his range, and although he had a good fourth round, rocking Verhoeven with an uppercut, he seemed to be losing most of the early rounds.
As the rounds ticked down, everyone waited for Usyk to assert his superiority, but that did not come until the end of the 11th.
A plush right hand sent Verhoeven down and through the ropes.
Once he was up, Usyk unleashed a barrage, but the Dutchman looked like he would be saved by the bell until the referee intervened.
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Usyk rocked, but heavyweight king beats Verhoeven in Egypt to retain titles
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING KING Oleksandr Usyk retained his titles with a dramatic and controversial stoppage victory over kick-boxer Rico Verhoeven with a second left of the 11th round in Egypt on Saturday.
In the shadow of the Great Pyramid of Giza, Verhoeven had rocked the Ukrainian champion and seemed to be leading before he was dropped and eventually stopped.
Despite having fought the likes of former champions Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, Usyk was perhaps given his toughest ever heavyweight fight by a man who had only boxed once before, in 2014.
Verhoeven is a legend of kickboxing but no one expected him to cause the great Usyk so many problems in a boxing bout.
But until the controversial stoppage, he had proved to be more than a tricky competitor and gave Usyk a huge scare.
His jerky style, bulldozing aggression and powerful right hand had troubled a sluggish-looking Usyk for most of the fight.
But as an exhausted Verhoeven started to labour in the 11th round, Usyk unleashed a stunning uppercut to drop the Dutchman.
There were only seconds left of the round to survive after Verhoeven climbed off the canvas, but Usyk went straight in for the finish, unleashing a flurry of punches before the referee called off the bout with Verhoeven stumbling but still on his feet.
With so little time left in the round, it seemed a hugely controversial call from the referee.
Despite Verhoeven soaking up heavy punishment, he was likely still leading the fight.
He had started well, landing a couple of vicious right hands in the opening round.
Usyk struggled to find his range, and although he had a good fourth round, rocking Verhoeven with an uppercut, he seemed to be losing most of the early rounds.
As the rounds ticked down, everyone waited for Usyk to assert his superiority, but that did not come until the end of the 11th.
A plush right hand sent Verhoeven down and through the ropes.
Once he was up, Usyk unleashed a barrage, but the Dutchman looked like he would be saved by the bell until the referee intervened.
– © AFP 2026
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