Oleksandr Usyk avoided suffering one of the biggest upsets in boxing history by stopping former kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in the 11th round to retain his world title and unbeaten record.
Usyk remarkably appeared at risk of losing to the impressive Dutchman, who was competing in just his second professional fight in front of the Egyptian pyramids in Giza.
The 39-year-old, however, produced a stunning left uppercut to drop Verhoeven in the penultimate round of the contest.
Usyk delivered another barrage of blows on Verhoeven, leading to the referee jumping in to call the fight to an end with one second remaining of the round.
It maintained the Ukrainian’s perfect professional record, but Usyk – who was watched by Anthony Joshua – was tested far more than many had expected heading into the contest.
‘Thank you so much. I know right now, Ukrainian people are sitting in the bomb shelter, my daughter too, in a bomb shelter, sent me a message saying, ‘Papa, I love you, you will win’, Usyk said.
Oleksandr Usyk survived a major scare by beating Rico Verhoeven in the 11th round of their heavyweight title fight
Usyk knocked down Verhoeven but the referee jumped in with one second remaining in the eleventh after another barrage of blows
Verhoeven had threatened to cause one of the biggest upsets in boxing history in Giza
‘Thank you so much, Rico. You are an amazing fighter. Thank you so much to your team.
‘My team, I love you. My wife, I love you. You are my light and my heart.
‘This fight was hard. It was a good fight. Thank you, God.’
Usyk had repeatedly found himself on the ropes during the contest, with Verhoeven having risen to the occasion to have threatened one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.
Verhoeven admitted to disappointment at what he believed was an early stoppage by the referee, with the Dutchman believing he could have recovered in time to ‘go out on his shield’ in the final round.
‘I thought it was an early stoppage but in the end it’s not up to me. I was already super thankful for this opportunity for Usyk to take this fight,’ Verhoeven said.
‘His excellency told me he wants a rematch, but it’s not up to me. Let’s see what happens.
‘I wanted the referee to let me go out on my shield or let me go in the twelfth.
‘I felt we were pretty even on the scorecards. I am really thankful for everyone who came out.
‘I am super proud of my performance and hopefully, the boxing world embraces me as a boxer. I am amazingly happy to be here.’
