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Usyk Triumphs in Giza With a Knockout Victory Over Verhoeven

Defending champion Oleksandr Usyk successfully retained his heavyweight titles by securing an 11th-round technical knockout against Rico Verhoeven on Saturday, May 23. The 39-year-old Ukrainian struggled early on against the significant height and reach advantage of the structural underdog, falling

Kyiv Post

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24 mai 2026

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Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk defended his titles with an 11th-round technical knockout victory over Rico Verhoeven in a championship bout held near the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

The main-event contest on Saturday, May 23, marked Usyk’s return to action following his victory over Daniel Dubois in July 2025, keeping his position at the top of the heavyweight division.

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Surviving the early storm

The opening rounds of the match saw Verhoeven, a long-time kickboxing champion making his second appearance under professional boxing rules, utilize his 6-foot-5 frame to establish control. Operating as the primary aggressor, the Dutchman used his height and reach advantages to land clean combinations, forcing Usyk to fight defensively from the outside. Usyk maintained a cautious approach during the first four rounds, absorbing several heavy sequences that put him behind on the scorecards by the midpoint of the contest.

The momentum shifted during the middle and late frames as Usyk established his tactical rhythm. In the fourth round, the Ukrainian southpaw increased his volume, stepping inside Verhoeven’s reach to deliver targeted body shots and uppercuts. Verhoeven demonstrated notable durability, sustaining a high pace into the late rounds and mounting a competitive counter-offensive in the eighth frame that tested the champion’s defensive guard.

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The 11th-round turnaround

The decisive sequence occurred late in the 11th round after a highly competitive 10th frame where both fighters traded punches in close quarters. Usyk caught Verhoeven with a precise combination of straight lefts against the ropes, registering the bout’s first official knockdown. While Verhoeven beat the referee’s count and returned to his feet, Usyk immediately followed up with an unanswered flurry of power shots. The referee intervened to stop the contest at the 2:59 mark of the 11th round, awarding Usyk the technical knockout victory.

The stoppage preserves Usyk’s undefeated professional record, which now stands at 25-0 with 16 knockouts. The victory ensures that the WBC, WBA, IBF, and The Ring championship belts remain with the Ukrainian fighter. A group of Ukrainian military veterans and energy sector frontline workers traveled to Cairo to attend the event and support the champion from ringside.

Attention inside the arena quickly turned to future matchmaking in the heavyweight division. Turki Al-Sheikh, Head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, entered the ring alongside undefeated German heavyweight contender Agit Kabayel to discuss future plans.

Al-Sheikh outlined a potential path forward for Usyk, proposing a voluntary defense against Kabayel before considering a contractual rematch with Verhoeven later in the winter cycle.

Thirty-three-year-old Kabayel, who holds the WBC interim heavyweight title and boasts a record of 27 victories with 19 knockouts, stood in the ring to formalize the challenge. Usyk expressed his readiness for the match, confirming he is prepared to enter negotiation tracks for a summer defense against the German challenger.