Oleksandr Usyk was behind on one of the scorecards when his fight with Rico Verhoeven was stopped controversially.
Boxing champion Usyk faced kickboxing icon Verhoeven in front of the pyramids of Egypt in what was recognised as a title defence. And Verhoeven, competing in only his second professional boxing bout, controlled significant portions of the contest and was ahead on one of the three judges’ scorecards.
But Usyk floored Verhoeven with an uppercut in the closing moments of the penultimate session and although Verhoeven beat the count, the referee waved off the fight with a second left following another barrage. “Rico, you are an amazing fighter,” said Usyk. “It was a hard fight, it was a good fight.” Verhoeven added: “It was an early stoppage but it’s not up to me. I believe the referee knows we’re almost at the end of the round, or let me go out on my shield.”
Verhoeven’s coach Peter Fury, uncle of former world champion Tyson, added: “I think the stoppage was early but at the end of the da, he was tired and fatigued. It was the 11th round; could he have made the 12th? Probably not, but the stoppage was early. He’s unbelieveable; if he had the awareness to grab hold and buy time… that’s what he’s missing, and you can’t get that in a training camp.”
Verhoeven drew a roar within 30 seconds when his right hand connected with the first blow of the night. Usyk was happy to ease his way into the fight but absorbed a right hand to the body as the underdog nicked the opening session. Verhoeven tried to exploit his size advantage in the second round but Usyk started to find success with his uppercut.
Verhoeven landed another thunderous right at the beginning of the third stanza before targeting the body. But Usyk finally sprang to life, connecting with a right of his own to remind Verhoeven of the challenge at hand. But it was the Dutchman who closed the round with another backhand. Usyk burst into action in the fourth round when an uppercut ignited a flurry which shook Verhoeven. The underdog recovered admirably and responded with his reliable right. Verhoeven kept pressing forward in the fifth but Usyk connected with a thumping left.
Verhoeven was still more than competitive by the halfway stage and landed a sweeping right to open the seventh session. Usyk fired back with a left hook but he was quickly retreating again as Verhoeven refused to fade, connecting with a right hand on the bell. The identical punch crashed home in the eighth round but even that failed to rouse the champion from his torpor.
Verhoeven shifted his focus to Usyk’s body in the ninth, landing hooks with both fists. And still the challenger pressed forward, smothering Usyk and outworking the undefeated man. But a barrage from Usyk at the close of the session served as a warning of his danger.
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Usyk carried that threat into the penultimate session as he unleashed another combination. And finally the challenger hit the deck before a contentious stoppage from referee Mark Lycett who seemed to wave off the fight after the bell had sounded.
On the undercard, Hamzah Sheeraz was crowned WBO super-middleweight world champion following a devastating second-round stoppage of Alem Begic. Sheeraz dominated from the opening bell and floored his German opponent with a left hook from which he failed to recover. Jack Catterall claimed a share of the WBA welterweight world title with a commanding points victory over Shakhram Giyasov. The British fighter floored his opponent in the opening round with a crisp left hand before going on to dominate the following two sessions. Giyasov threatened briefly in the fourth and fifth rounds, but Catterall re-established his control and dictated the remainder of the contest, with all three judges scoring in his favour. He could now face ‘super’ champion Rolly Romero.
Meanwhile, rising American heavyweight prospect Richard Torrez Jr was stopped by Frank Sanchez, as the Cuban booked his place in a world title fight with a sensational second-round knockout.