Oleksandr Usyk Finishes Rico Verhoeven In Round 11

Usyk survived difficult early rounds before breaking Verhoeven down late with combinations and sharper punch placement in Egypt

Oleksandr Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs) closed the show late on Saturday night, stopping Rico Verhoeven (1-1) in the 11th round to retain his WBC heavyweight title at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

The crossover fight started with far more resistance than many expected from Verhoeven.

The former kickboxing champion came forward aggressively from the opening bell, used his size to make the fight physical, and forced Usyk into uncomfortable exchanges along the ropes during several of the early rounds. Verhoeven landed hard right hands at times and continued pressing forward even when Usyk attempted to slow the pace with movement and counters.

Usyk still found success with his jab and footwork, but the fight remained competitive deeper into the night than many predicted beforehand.

By the middle rounds, the champion slowly began regaining control.

Usyk started landing cleaner combinations, turning angles more consistently, and forcing Verhoeven to reset after missing with pressure attacks. The challenger continued trying to force exchanges, though the pace and accumulation of punches gradually favored the unbeaten Ukrainian champion.

The ending came during the 11th round after Usyk increased his output and trapped Verhoeven during a sustained exchange.

A series of clean combinations hurt Verhoeven badly and left him absorbing unanswered punches near the ropes before the referee stepped in to stop the fight. Some viewers questioned whether the stoppage came slightly early because Verhoeven was still standing, but the challenger was clearly taking heavy punishment without offering much in return.

The victory kept Usyk unbeaten and added another successful defense to his heavyweight record after previous wins over Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Daniel Dubois.

For Verhoeven, the defeat dropped him to 1-1 in professional boxing, though his performance likely earned respect from fans who expected a far shorter fight. The kickboxing star remained competitive for long stretches before Usyk’s experience and adjustments finally separated the two fighters late.

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