Ukrainian boxing star Alexander Usyk defends his WBC belt in front of the pyramids of Giza with a shaky victory against kickboxing idol Rico Verhoeven.
24.05.2026, 08:09
24.05.2026, 08:17
SDA
The unbeaten 39-year-old and three-time world title holder defeated the Dutchman in Egypt in an unusual crossover duel by technical knockout after eleven of twelve rounds.
Verhoeven made life surprisingly difficult for Usyk, with the Ukrainian rarely looking like the expected clear favorite. "I thought it was an early end, but in the end it's not my decision," said Verhoeven, who had previously only had one professional fight - against a no-name opponent in 2014. As a kickboxer, the 37-year-old was the best in the heavyweight division for a long time. He remained unbeaten for ten years.
Usyk, who has defeated greats such as Tyson Fury and whose WBA and IBF belts were not at stake, was surprisingly weak in his voluntary title defense. As the duel progressed, he got into more and more trouble, but Usyk still managed to hit his opponent with an uppercut to good effect. The referee then surprisingly stopped the fight.
