Oleksandr Usyk narrowly retained his heavyweight world title in a contentious late stoppage victory over Rico Verhoeven. The fight, held in front of the pyramids, was billed as a title defense, even though Verhoeven was only in his second professional boxing match. Verhoeven seemed to have the upper hand for most of the fight and was likely ahead on the scorecards going into the penultimate round.
In a dramatic turn of events, Usyk sent Verhoeven to the canvas with an uppercut towards the end of the round. Although Verhoeven managed to beat the count, the referee controversially stopped the fight with just one second remaining after another series of punches. Replays indicated that the fight was halted after the bell had already rung.
Following the bout, Usyk praised Verhoeven as an impressive fighter, acknowledging the tough and competitive nature of the fight. Verhoeven expressed disappointment with the stoppage, feeling it was premature and indicating a desire to continue fighting.
The match started with Verhoeven landing the first significant shot early on, showcasing his skills against Usyk. Despite Verhoeven’s initial dominance, Usyk gradually found his rhythm and began to land effective punches, particularly his uppercut.
As the rounds progressed, both fighters exchanged powerful blows, with Verhoeven showing resilience and determination. Usyk showcased his strength in the later rounds, culminating in a decisive combination that led to Verhoeven hitting the canvas, ultimately ending the fight.
In other fights on the card, Hamzah Sheeraz claimed the WBO super-middleweight world title with a second-round knockout victory over Alem Begic. Jack Catterall secured a portion of the WBA welterweight world title by outpointing Shakhram Giyasov, setting up a potential future clash with ‘super’ champion Rolly Romero. Additionally, rising American heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr suffered a stunning second-round knockout defeat to Frank Sanchez, who earned a shot at a world title.
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