Oleksandr Usyk retains his unbeaten record and WBC heavyweight title in a WBC title fight against Dutch kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza. Multiple outlets report that Verhoeven, a former kickboxing star and a boxing novice with few recent pro fights, starts strongly and challenges Usyk in a way many expected would be a mismatch. Several reports say Usyk appears to be behind on the scorecards as the fight enters the later rounds.
As the bout reaches the 11th round, Usyk produces a late finish that stops Verhoeven with little time remaining, described in the coverage as a stoppage that comes “one second” or “at the end” of the round by different accounts. Broad agreement among sources characterises the stoppage as controversial. BBC and others note the decision draws questions, while the Independent and Daily Mail also describe the result as controversial and deny Verhoeven an “upset.”
The undercard includes other boxing title claims reported by some outlets, including Hamzah Sheeraz and Jack Catterall, while Verhoeven publicly calls for a rematch and disputes the referee’s decision, according to press accounts.
