Oleksandr Usyk walked away with the win on May 23 when he faced former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza. The three-time, two-division undisputed champion defeated his opponent in a tough fight by 11th-round TKO to retain the heavyweight title, securing a knockdown along the way.
Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs) of Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine dropped Verhoeven (1-1, 1 KO) with an uppercut in the last minute of the round. The native of Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands managed to get back on his feet and beat the count.
The fight resumed once Verhoeven’s mouthpiece was put back in place – which also gave him additional seconds to recover – and Usyk jumped back at him with a barrage of punches, prompting the referee to step in and wave the fight off.
The official time of the stoppage was 2:59 of the round.
Verhoeven was not too happy with the stoppage, although he accepted the defeat, saying during his post-fight interview that it was up to the referee.
Usyk, who entered the ring as the unified IBF, WBA, and WBC heavyweight champion, retained the WBA and WBC belts and continues his reign across all three sanctioning bodies.
Germany’s Agit Kabayel, who holds the interim WBC title, entered the ring as the next mandatory opponent for Usyk, while a rematch with Verhoeven could also be in play.
Usyk said he was ready for any challenge.
Sheeraz claims title, Mizuki retains belt and more
In the co-feature, Hamzah Sheeraz (23-0-1, 19 KOs) became the new WBO super middleweight champion, claiming the vacant title by second-round knockout against Alem Begic (29-1-1, 23 KOs). The stoppage came at 2:33 of the round.
On the Usyk vs Rico undercard, Jack Catterall (33-2, 14 KOs) defeated Shakhram Giyasov (17-1, 10 KOs) by unanimous decision to win the vacant WBA “Regular” welterweight title. After 12 rounds, the judges scored the fight 119-108, 116-111, and 118-109.
Frank Sanchez (26-1, 19 KOs) claimed victory against Richard Torrez Jr. (14-1, 12 KOs) by second-round TKO in a final eliminator for the IBF heavyweight title. The time of the stoppage was 0:55 of the round.
Mizuki Hiruta (11-0, 2 KOs) made the seventh successful defense of her WBO super flyweight title, defeating Mai Soliman (10-2, 6 KOs) by unanimous decision. After 10 rounds, the judges scored the fight 98-92, 98-92, and 99-91.
Kicking off the main card, Benjamin Mendes Tani (10-1, 3 KOs) upset Daniel Lapin (13-1, 5 KOs) by fourth-round TKO at light heavyweight, scoring three knockdowns along the way. The stoppage came at 1:35 of the round. With the win, Tani claimed the WBA, WBO and IBF Intercontinental titles.
Usyk vs Rico prelims
Among the Usyk vs Rico prelims, Omar Hikal (1-0, 1 KO) defeated Michael Kalyalya (3-5-2, 1 KO) by third-round knockout at middleweight. The stoppage came at 0:55 of the round.
Mohamed Mabrouk Yehya (1-0) defeated Ali Sserunkuma (2-4-1) by unanimous decision at super lightweight. After four rounds, the judges scored the fight 40-35, 38-37, and 40-35.
Sultan Almohammed (4-0, 3 KOs) defeated Dedy Imprax (2-5, 1 KO) by first-round knockout at featherweight. The time of the stoppage was 1:12 of the round.
In the event opener, Jamar Talley (7-0, 6 KOs) defeated Basem Mamdouh (10-3, 4 KOs) by second-round knockout at cruiserweight. The official time was 1:51 of the round.