Usyk Avoids Historic Upset to Verhoeven with 11th-round TKO
By Eddie Sanchez
Oleksandr Usyk survived the ultimate scare against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven. He went on to score a controversial 11th-round TKO and prevent what would have been a monumental upset in front of the pyramids of Giza.
With the fight being even on two of the three judges’ scorecards, Usyk dropped Verhoeven in the final seconds of Round 11 with a right uppercut. Verhoeven managed to get to his feet on shaky legs with 10 seconds left, but was visibly battered. Rather than allow Verhoeven to continue into the final round, referee Mark Lyson called off the fight, earning Usyk the stoppage win officially at 2:59.
“The fight was hard,” said Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs). “But I just boxed. It was my right uppercut. Bam!”
Usyk, 39, looked sluggish and uncertain early on, but began to get a read on Rico in the second half of the fight. He managed to pick his spots at just the right time to escape Egypt with his undefeated record still intact.
“For the first time, I am doing what I really want to do. Not what I must do and not what people expect from me,” Usyk shared.
Rico shared the following after the tough defeat:
“I thought it was an early stoppage, but in the end, it’s not up to me,” Verhoeven said. “I believe the referee knows that we’re almost at the end of the round. [He could have] let me go out on my shield or let the bell go. That’s what I thought. But like I said, it’s not up to me, and I was already super thankful for the opportunity.”
OPTIONS
Usyk was presented with two options for his next fight: a rematch with Verhoeven or a heavyweight showdown with Agit Kabayel. Usyk, of course, didn’t shy away from either opponent.
“Not a problem,” Usyk said. “Let’s do it.”
WHAT’S NEXT
Verhoeven, who was respectful of the stoppage in the immediate aftermath, changed his tone in the locker room upon finding out that it came after the bell.
“Official protest has been filed on our way to the airport,” Verhoeven wrote on Instagram. “Rules only matter if they are applied when it matters most.”
Verhoeven’s team also appears to be angling for an immediate rematch with Usyk, despite ringside officials bringing WBC interim heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel into the ring after the fight. However, the DAZN broadcast also picked up Turki Alalshikh telling both Usyk and Verhoeven that he, too, wants a rematch in the near future.
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