Oleksandr Usyk Stops Rico Verhoeven in Controversial Finish at the Pyramids

People are going to argue about the ending to Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven for a while.

That was probably inevitable once Verhoeven started settling into the fight and making things awkward for the unbeaten Ukrainian in front of the Pyramids of Giza. Some had Rico ahead heading into the championship rounds, others felt Usyk was gradually taking over, but the round eleven stoppage definitely left plenty of fans frustrated and confused online.

Whatever side people land on, the crossover fight became a real fight. Nobody can deny that now.

Main Event

Oleksandr Usyk (25-0-0) stopped Rico Verhoeven (1-1-0) via round eleven TKO to retain the WBC World Heavyweight title.

The finish came after Verhoeven was dropped in the eleventh and referee Mark Lyson stepped in, but that decision is going to be debated heavily because the scorecards were razor close beforehand. Two judges had it level at 95-95, while the third had Verhoeven narrowly ahead 96-94.

Rico looked far more comfortable than plenty expected. He used his size well, stayed patient and had moments where he genuinely disrupted Usyk’s rhythm. The crowd reacted loudly every time Verhoeven landed clean, and there were definitely stretches where the atmosphere shifted.

Usyk, though, is still Usyk. Even when things get messy, he finds solutions. The knockdown in round eleven changed everything and the referee chose not to let Verhoeven continue after the follow-up attack with only seconds left in the round.

Controversial? Absolutely. But it still goes down as another win for the unbeaten Ukrainian.

Co-Main / Key Fights

Hamzah Sheeraz (23-0-1) blasted out Alem Begic (29-1-1) with a second-round knockout to capture the vacant WBO World Super Middleweight title.

This was the statement performance Sheeraz wanted. Begic came in unbeaten but barely had time to settle before Sheeraz started finding the range. Once the shots landed clean, the end came quickly. No surprise result in the end, but the manner of it definitely turned heads.

Jack Catterall (33-2-0) outpointed Shakhram Giyasov (17-1-0) over twelve rounds by unanimous decision in a sharp welterweight performance.

Catterall dropped Giyasov in the opening round and never really let him settle fully after that. The scorecards of 119-108, 116-111 and 118-109 reflected how controlled most of the fight felt from the Englishman’s side. Giyasov had moments, but Catterall’s timing and accuracy kept winning rounds.

Frank Sanchez (26-1-0) flattened Richard Torrez Jr (14-1-0) with a second-round knockout in heavyweight action.

Bit of a shock to see it end that quickly. Torrez hit the canvas in round two. A huge upset win for Sanchez after taking the first defeat of his career previously.

Other Title Fights

Mizuki Hiruta (11-0-0) retained the WBO World Super Flyweight title with a unanimous decision win over Mai Soliman (10-2-0) after ten rounds.

The scorecards read 98-92, 98-92 and 99-91 for Hiruta, who handled business cleanly despite strong support for Soliman in Egypt.

Benjamin Mendes Tani (10-1-0) stopped Daniel Lapin (13-1-0) in round four to win the IBF Inter-Continental and WBO International light heavyweight titles.

Lapin hit the deck three times before the fight was waved off. That was a rough night for the previously unbeaten contender.

Non-Title Undercard

Jamar Talley (7-0-0) knocked out Basem Mamdouh (10-3-0) in round two of their cruiserweight bout.

Omar Hikal scored a third-round knockout on his professional debut against Michael Kalyalya (3-4-2).

Mohamed Mabrouk Yehya won his debut by four-round unanimous decision against Ali Sserunkuma (2-3-1). Scores came in at 40-35, 38-37 and 40-35. Sserunkuma also lost a point in round three for holding.

Sultan Almohammed (4-0-0) needed just one round to knock out Dedy Imprax (2-5-0).

The event was sold as spectacle from the start, but by the end of the night the fight everybody mocked beforehand ended up becoming the one everyone was arguing about.

That’s boxing for you.