Oleksandr Usyk retained his world heavyweight titles in Egypt with a controversial 11th-round stoppage victory over kickboxing crossover Rico Verhoeven. The Dutchman, in just his second professional boxing bout, shocked many by pushing the Ukrainian champion throughout the contest. Verhoeven dropped Usyk with a sharp left uppercut in the 11th before the referee controversially waved off the fight despite the challenger beating the count.

Scorecards at the time of stoppage favored Verhoeven 95-95, 95-95, and 96-94, reflecting how close the fight remained. Verhoeven, a kickboxing legend who ruled his sport for over 4,000 days, matched Usyk's output and absorbed clean shots well. The 37-year-old even stunned the three-time undisputed champion with several right hands, particularly in rounds three and eight, making this the toughest fight of Usyk's career.

The unusual world title fight took place at the Pyramids of Giza, with boxing royalty including Canelo Alvarez and Anthony Joshua watching from ringside. Usyk's WBC and WBA 'super' belts were both on the line, though Verhoeven wouldn't have been eligible to win the latter. The dramatic stoppage sparked immediate calls for a rematch from the disappointed challenger.

Verhoeven described the ending as an "early stoppage" and expressed frustration at not being allowed to continue. He felt the scorecards showed parity and wanted to finish the scheduled 12 rounds. Usyk improved to 25-0 but acknowledged the difficulty, stating simply: "This fight was hard. It was a good fight."