Oleksandr Usyk was lucky enough to retain his world heavyweight titles with a controversial 11th-round stoppage victory over Rico Verhoeven. The Dutchman has had an impressive kickboxing career, but had only fought one professional boxing bout before the clash late Saturday.
Verhoeven was the clear aggressor for long periods, surprising the legendary Usyk in a way no one expected.
In a surprisingly close match, Ukrainian Usyk offered a late attack and landed a sharp left that sent the Dutchman to the floor and the ropes.
Verhoeven survived the count, but a series of punches in the final seconds of the 11th round caused the referee to step in and stop the fight. It was an extremely harsh decision for the challenger Verhoeven.
Even when the fight was controversially stopped, Verhoeven was leading 96:94 according to one judge. Two others were scoring the fight 95:95.
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"The fight was tough. It was a good fight," Usyk said.
In a fight that many expected to highlight the gap between professional boxing and the ambition of switching from another sport to boxing, the undefeated Usyk looked unusually tired.
The three-time undisputed champion, who dominated both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, still found a way to win his 25th professional boxing bout. But the 39-year-old Ukrainian's opponent questioned the result, as did many sports pundits and commentators on social media.
The 37-year-old kickboxing legend, Verhoeven, called the stoppage premature and demanded a rematch. Verhoeven said that it was up to Usyk, however.
"I wanted the referee to let me go in the 12th round. I felt we were pretty even on the scoreboards," Verhoeven said.
Usyk's WBC title was at stake, and the fight was also billed as a defense of the champion's WBA Super belt, although Verhoeven would not be eligible to win that version of the title in the event of an upset. The IBF gave the go-ahead for the fight, but did not approve it for the belt version.
The fight took place near the Giza pyramids in Egypt. It is one of the most unusual boxing fights to date.
Verhoeven, who has long dominated kickboxing, started lively and with constant energy. He landed a hard right jab several times to the body of Usyk.
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Boxing stars were ringside, along with actor Jason Statham, who enabled Verhoeven to make this fight happen.
Verhoeven landed a hard punch in the third round, while Usyk responded in the fourth. The rounds went by and the fight didn't end. Verhoeven landed punches, while in the tenth and 11th rounds, Usyk became more lively, landing a few uppercuts.
Verhoeven was visibly injured in the 11th round, but most felt he should have been allowed to go out in the 12th and final round. The referee's decision was highly controversial.
The referee stopped the fight just one second before the end of the 11th round.
"I'm very proud of the performance and I hope the boxing world accepts me as a boxer. I'm extremely happy to be here," said Verhoeven.
Reactions to the final result are expected to be numerous. But Usyk scored another victory and Agit Kabayel took advantage of the opportunity to enter the ring and demand a fight with Usyk. He is the mandatory challenger in the WBC version.
"I've been waiting for this match for a long time. I'm ready and I think Germany is ready for the match. Let's do it in a German stadium. I think all the fans want it," said Kabayel.
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Usyk responded with "let's do it, no problem. I'm ready, brother."
Regardless of what the future holds, Usyk had the toughest night of his career against an athlete few considered worthy of a world title fight.
