GIZA, Egypt, May 23 – Ukrainian heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk came dangerously close to suffering one of boxing’s greatest upsets before delivering a dramatic knockout of Dutch former kickboxer Rico Verhoeven with merely one second remaining in the 11th round of their WBC championship bout.
The Saturday night spectacle dubbed ‘Glory in Giza’ at Egypt’s Pyramids was widely anticipated to be a one-sided affair, but Verhoeven completely defied expectations from the first bell, with some judges’ scorecards showing him leading despite having only one professional boxing match 12 years prior.
The 39-year-old Ukrainian appeared unusually sluggish and came into the fight at his heaviest weight ever, forcing him to enter the 11th round desperately needing a decisive moment to secure what most observers had assumed would be a routine victory.
That crucial moment arrived in the final seconds of the penultimate round when Usyk connected with a devastating right uppercut that sent Verhoeven to the canvas. Although the Dutchman managed to beat the referee’s count, the official intervened to halt the contest.
“I thought it was an early stoppage but in the end it’s not up to me,” the 37-year-old Verhoeven said to DAZN. “I was already super thankful for this opportunity for Usyk to take this fight.”
The bout put only the WBC championship on the line for Verhoeven, while Usyk’s WBA and IBF titles would have been declared vacant had he suffered defeat.
The Ukrainian champion ultimately maintained his perfect professional record at 25 victories without a loss.
“This fight was hard. It was a good fight. I was just boxing, my right uppercut, bang. Thank you god,” Usyk commented after the fight.
“Right now, in Ukraine, my people and my country — there is bombing. My people are sitting in bomb shelters. My family. My daughter sent me a message: ‘Papa, I love you, I’m afraid.’ I said, ‘oh my God’.”
A Verhoeven victory would have ranked among boxing’s most stunning upsets, potentially exceeding the shock of Mike Tyson’s 1990 loss to underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas.
Many boxing analysts predicted Usyk, an Olympic gold medalist from 2012 and seasoned professional, would finish the contest by the midway point or even sooner.
The theatrical pre-fight entrances featured Verhoeven dressed as a pharaoh, accompanied by torch-bearing attendants against the backdrop of the illuminated Pyramids.
Usyk chose a Roman gladiator theme, donning centurion armor and helmet while fireworks exploded overhead. However, the actual fight proved to be among his most challenging, as he struggled against an opponent who refused to fold under pressure.
