Oleksandr Usyk narrowly retained his heavyweight world title in a controversial fashion against Rico Verhoeven. The fight took place in front of the pyramids, with Verhoeven, a kickboxing legend, challenging Usyk in only his second professional boxing match. Despite Verhoeven’s strong performance, Usyk managed to knock him down in the penultimate round, prompting the referee to stop the fight with just one second remaining, a decision that sparked debate as replays suggested the stoppage occurred after the bell.
Usyk acknowledged Verhoeven’s skills, calling him an incredible fighter, while Verhoeven expressed disappointment over the early stoppage, believing he could have continued. The match saw Verhoeven making an impact early with a solid right hand, but Usyk gradually found his rhythm and landed crucial punches throughout the rounds.
In the end, Usyk’s late surge in the fight led to Verhoeven hitting the canvas, ending his chances for the final round. The undercard featured Hamzah Sheeraz becoming the WBO super-middleweight world champion with a second-round victory over Alem Begic, and Jack Catterall securing a portion of the WBA welterweight world title by outpointing Shakhram Giyasov. Additionally, rising American heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr suffered a knockout defeat at the hands of Frank Sanchez, who earned a shot at a world title with an impressive second-round stoppage.
