Usyk survives Rico Verhoeven scare. Oleksandr Usyk retained his WBC heavyweight title after stopping kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven in the 11th round of a dramatic crossover fight at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt on May 23, 2026.
The fight started and Usyk started cautiously, circling and probing behind his jab while Verhoeven immediately looked to impose his size and physicality. The Dutchman pressured forward confidently and landed several heavy body shots that got the crowd reacting early.
Round two began and Verhoeven settled into the fight quickly and continued walking Usyk down with aggressive combinations and clinch pressure. Usyk stayed composed and landed cleaner counters, but Rico’s size and activity were already making things uncomfortable in the round.
Usyk began finding more rhythm with his movement and sharp left hand in the third round but Verhoeven refused to back down. The former GLORY champion continued bullying forward and forced Usyk into several exchanges along the ropes. The pace picked up as both heavyweights traded more often. Usyk’s timing looked better, but Verhoeven’s confidence kept growing as he matched the champion’s output
Verhoeven had one of his strongest rounds in round five landing hard shots and forcing physical exchanges inside. Usyk looked uncomfortable under the relentless pressure in this round. in round six, Usyk responded with cleaner combinations and better footwork, though Rico refused to slow down and kept marching forward aggressively.
Momentum swung back and forth as Usyk landed crisp counters while Verhoeven answered with pressure and volume. The fight was becoming far closer than expected in round seven. Verhoeven landed one of his best right hands of the fight and continued bullying forward while Usyk struggled to fully control the distance.
Rico’s relentless pressure kept causing problems for the champion. Usyk landed sharp counters, but Verhoeven’s aggression and activity continued to impress. The two clinched up, Verhoeven landed some shots to the body. Both guys landed and again, Verhoeven pushed him in the corner. And Usyk landed some big shots that made it look like Verhoeven was in trouble.
Usyk finally found the breakthrough with a sharp uppercut that dropped Verhoeven late in the round. Rico beat the count, but Usyk swarmed with punches until the referee stopped the fight at 2:59 of Round 11, sparking controversy because the bell was only seconds away.
“Rico, you’re an amazing fighter,” Usyk said after the win. “My team, I love you. You are the best. This fight was hard. It’s a good fight. I was just boxing. My right uppercut, bomb, thank you God.”
“Yeah of course, I thought it was an early stoppage but in the end, it’s not up to me,” Verhoeven said. “But still, I thought [it was] a little bit early. I believe the referee knows we’re almost at the end of the round or let me go out on my shield or let the bell go. That’s what I thought. But like I said, it’s not up to me “Don’t stop it. It was so close or go out on my shield or let us go on the 12th. I was close, we were pretty equal on the scorecards. That’s at least what it felt like. But like I said, I’m very proud, very thankful. Tonight we all wrote history.”
Immediately after the fight, Turki Alalshikh called for a rematch with hopes of promoting the fight in Verhoeven’s home country of Holland. Obviously, Verhoeven is down for that idea but he also knows he doesn’t make that final call. “It’s not up to me [about a rematch],” Verhoeven said. “I was already super thankful for the opportunity as well that Usyk took this fight. It’s not up to me, it’s up to the organization so let’s see what happens.”
Usyk vs. Rico Main Card
Oleksandr Usyk def. Rico Verhoeven via TKO (R11, 2:59)
Hamzah Sheeraz def. Alem Begic via KO – Round 2, 2:33
Jack Catterall def. Shakhram Giyasov via unanimous decision (118-109, 119-108, 116-111)
Frank Sanchez def. Richard Torrez Jr. via KO – Round 2, 0:55
Mizuki Hiruta def. Mai Soliman via unanimous decision (98-92 x2, 99-91)
Benjamin Mendes Tani def. Daniel Lapin via TKO – Round 4, 1:35
Usyk vs. Rico Prelims
Jamar Talley def. Basem Mamdouh via KO – Round 2, 1:51
Sultan Almohammed def. Deny Impart via KO – Round 1, 1:12
Mahmoud Moubarek def. Ali Sserunkuma via unanimous decision (38-37, 40-35 x2)
Omar Hikal def. Michael Kalyalya via KO – Round 3, 0:55
