Oleksandr Usik defeated Dutch kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven by technical knockout in the 11th round and retained his heavyweight titles. The fight took place on the night of 24 May in Giza, Egypt, near the pyramids, as part of the boxing evening Glory in Giza.
The fight was another defence of Usik’s status as one of the world’s top heavyweight champions. In the ring, the WBC and The Ring belts were at stake, and after the victory the Ukrainian also retained his WBA and IBF titles.
Verhoeven, who had only one professional fight in boxing before, but dominated kickboxing for many years, started the fight more actively. The Dutchman tried to shorten the distance, put pressure on Usik and several times forced the Ukrainian to work near the ropes. In the first rounds the champion acted cautiously, moved a lot and mostly responded with counterattacks.
The middle of the fight was the most intense for Usik. Verhoeven continued to impose a forceful manner, got to the second half of the fight and, according to BBC Sport, kept the intrigue until the championship rounds. The British broadcast noted that the fight was close before the stoppage, and Usik came under serious pressure from his opponent in the final rounds.
The key round was the 11th round. Usik first sent Verhoven to knockdown, after which he continued his attack with a series of punches. The referee stopped the fight at the end of the round, recording an early victory for the Ukrainian. It was this series of knockdowns that ended the fight and confirmed Usik’s victory with a stoppage in the 11th round.
For Usik, this victory was the 25th in his professional career. The Ukrainian remained undefeated and continued his streak of success in the heavyweight division after moving up from cruiserweight.
The undercard of the evening featured several notable bouts. Frank Sanchez defeated Richard Torres Jr. by TKO in the second round, Jack Catterall defeated Shahram Giyasov by unanimous decision, and Hamza Shiraz knocked out Alem Begic to win the vacant WBO middleweight title.
Thus, the main fight of the evening in Giza ended with Usik confirming his champion status. Verhoeven imposed on the Ukrainian one of the toughest fights in the heavyweight division, but at the decisive moment Usik again utilised his experience, technique and ability to add in the end of the fight.