Jake Paul was left furious as Olexsandr Usyk survived a scare as he defended his WBC world heavyweight title by stopping Rico Verhoeven at the end of the 11th round in Egypt.
Kickboxing world champion Verhoeven had the unbeaten Usyk under pressure in the shadow of the pyramids, but the Ukrainian clinched victory with a second left in the round. Usyk, who also holds the WBA and IBF titles, put Verhoeven on the canvas with a left uppercut and although the Dutch fighter beat the count, a flurry of punches from the champion saw the referee step in and end the fight.
But replays showed British official Mark Lycett had done so AFTER the bell to end the round had rung. And YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul was one of many people left outraged by his decision. “I mean that’s the most insane s*** I’ve ever seen,” he wrote on social media. “Rico was winning every round and the moment the ref sees to end it then he ends it, are you kidding? I’m the biggest Usyk fan but bro you lost that s***. Shoutout to Rico for beating his a** every round and getting jipped.”
Verhoeven, in just his second fight and first since 2014, had threatened to spring one of boxing’s biggest surprises as he frustrated Usyk. The 37-year-old appeared to throw Usyk with his unorthodox stance and struck first in the opening round, although the champion responded in the second.
Usyk, 39, was not moving freely and was caught several times as the pace slowed into the middle rounds. He came under pressure on the ropes as Verhoeven threatened the upset, catching Usyk with a strong right hand in the eighth before the Ukrainian responded with a left late in the round.
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Verhoeven again forced Usyk back onto the ropes in the ninth round and kept up the pressure in the 10th, but Usyk survived and delivered the decisive blows late in the 11th round. Speaking to Dazn, Usyk said: “This fight was hard. It was a good fight.” He said he was “ready” to fight Germany’s WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel, who was in the ring after the fight. Verhoeven said: “I thought it was an early stoppage but in the end it’s not up to me.”
Jack Catterall will get a shot at the WBA welterweight world title after taking a big points win over Shakhram Giyasov. The Chorley fighter knocked down Giyasov in the first round of a dominant display, taking the WBA’s ‘regular’ welterweight title and earning a shot at WBA welterweight ‘super’ champion Rolando Romero. The fight was scored 118-109, 119-108 and 116-111 in Catterall’s favour.