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Usyk Retains WBC Heavyweight Title With 11th-Round TKO of Verhoeven
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Rico Verhoeven by technical knockout in the 11th round on May 23, 2026, at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. The stoppage drew criticism after Verhoeven was dropped late in the round.
May 24, 8:43 AM·1m read3 sources
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Oleksandr Usyk retained his WBC heavyweight title with an 11th-round technical knockout of Rico Verhoeven on May 23, 2026, at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. The bout marked the first boxing event held at the historic site. Usyk improved to 25-0 with 16 knockouts, while Verhoeven fell to 1-1 in professional boxing.
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Late in the 11th round, Usyk landed a right uppercut that dropped Verhoeven. Verhoeven rose and received extra time to replace his mouthpiece before the champion threw additional punches. Referee Mark Lyson stopped the contest at 2:59 of the round. Commentator Todd Grisham questioned the timing of the stoppage on the broadcast.
Verhoeven told DAZN afterward that he believed the stoppage came too early and said he wanted to continue into the 12th round.
Two judges had the fight even at 95-95 after 10 rounds, while the third scored it 96-94 for Verhoeven. Usyk landed 112 of 499 punches, and Verhoeven connected on 113 of 508. Had the round reached its conclusion, Usyk would have led on two cards and trailed on one entering the 12th.
Verhoeven, a prominent kickboxer with a 66-10 record, competed in only his second professional boxing match. Usyk had previously defeated Tyson Fury twice in 2024. Event chief Turki Alalshikh indicated that mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel would be next for Usyk, with a possible Verhoeven rematch to follow if Verhoeven secures additional wins.
Usyk stated he remained open to facing Verhoeven again.
