Oleksandr Usyk retained his heavyweight titles after a controversial 11th-round stoppage victory over Rico Verhoeven in Egypt on Saturday night.
The Ukrainian survived one of the toughest tests of his career before referee Mark Lyson halted the contest late in the penultimate round at the purpose-built arena near the Pyramids of Giza.
Verhoeven, competing in only his second professional boxing bout, troubled the unbeaten champion for long periods and was ahead on one judge’s scorecard before the stoppage. The scores stood at 95-95, 95-95 and 96-94 in favour of the Dutch challenger.
Usyk eventually found his breakthrough in the closing stages after landing a left uppercut that sent Verhoeven to the canvas.
Although the former kickboxing champion beat the count, Usyk followed with a barrage of punches before the referee stepped in with one second left in the round.
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The stoppage immediately sparked debate, with many ringside observers believing Verhoeven should have been allowed to continue.
“This fight was hard. It was a good fight,” Usyk said after improving his professional record to 25 wins.
Verhoeven, who entered the fight as a major underdog, pushed the champion throughout the contest with aggressive movement and powerful right hands.
The 37-year-old landed clean shots in the early rounds and repeatedly unsettled Usyk, who looked uncomfortable for much of the night.
Usyk responded with sharp combinations in flashes, particularly with his uppercuts, but Verhoeven continued to apply pressure deep into the fight despite entering unfamiliar territory beyond the fifth round.
“Get back to your boxing, you’re getting too greedy, trying to land and getting caught,” Verhoeven’s trainer Peter Fury warned during the contest.
Usyk finally seized control in the 10th and 11th rounds, increasing his tempo and repeatedly targeting Verhoeven with uppercuts.
After the stoppage, Verhoeven questioned the referee’s decision and called for a rematch.
“I wanted the referee to let me go out on my shield or let me go in the 12th. I felt we were pretty even on the scorecards,” Verhoeven said.
The bout served as a defence of Usyk’s WBC and WBA ‘super’ heavyweight titles, although the IBF did not sanction its belt for the fight.
Several boxing stars, including Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, Terence Crawford, Gennady Golovkin and Anthony Joshua, watched from ringside alongside actor Jason Statham.
Despite retaining his titles, Usyk’s performance is likely to fuel questions about his future after what many viewed as the most difficult outing of his career.
After the fight, WBC interim heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel entered the ring to challenge the Ukrainian.
“I have waited so long for this fight. I am ready, and I think Germany is ready for the fight. Let’s do it in a German stadium. I think all the fans want it,” Kabayel said.
Usyk responded: “Let’s do it, no problem. I am ready, brother.”
