Oleksandr Usyk survived a major upset scare before stopping Rico Verhoeven in the 11th round in Egypt.
Oleksandr Usyk retained his WBC heavyweight title after defeating Rico Verhoeven by technical knockout in the 11th round of their “Glory in Giza” fight in Egypt.
The unbeaten Ukrainian champion was pushed to the limit by Verhoeven, who shocked fans with a strong performance despite having little professional boxing experience. Judges reportedly had the fight level heading into the final rounds.
Usyk finally ended the contest with a powerful right uppercut that dropped Verhoeven late in round 11. Although the Dutch fighter beat the count, the referee stopped the fight with one second remaining in the round.
The fight took place in front of the Pyramids of Giza and was one of the toughest nights of Usyk’s career. The 39-year-old later spoke emotionally about the ongoing war in Ukraine and his family sheltering during attacks back home.
Usyk extended his unbeaten professional record to 25 wins and kept hold of his heavyweight world titles.
READ ALSO: https://alo360.net/anthony-joshua-vs-tyson-fury-fight-confirmed/