CAIRO: At “Glory in Giza,” sponsored by Riyadh Season and jointly organized by Matchroom and The Ring, Ukrainian champion Oleksandr Usyk defeated Dutch kickboxing superstar Rico Verhoeven via technical knockout in the 11th round to retain his three heavyweight world titles.
In a chaotic ending in the early hours of Sunday, the 39-year-old Usyk dropped his challenger late in the penultimate round, and referee Mark Lyson waved it off at 2:59 after Usyk pounced when Verhoeven beat the count shortly before the bell.
“I thought it was an early stoppage but in the end it’s not up to me,” Verhoeven said moments later while still in the ring with the Pyramids of Giza in the background.
Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs) holds the WBC, WBA and IBF belts. For the 37-year-old Verhoeven, it was only his second time fighting as a boxer.
“Thank you so much, Rico, you are an amazing fighter,” said Usyk, who dedicated the win to “Ukrainian people and Ukrainian soldiers.”
The event was attended by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the board of directors of the General Entertainment Authority, along with public figures and Arab and international actors.
The bout began with a spectacular entrance with both fighters dressed in attire inspired by ancient Egyptian civilization, before the Egyptian national anthem was played, followed by the Dutch and Ukrainian anthems.
The opening round featured an energetic start from Verhoeven, who relied on movement and early pressure while targeting Usyk’s body, as the Ukrainian preferred to study his opponent’s style. In the second round, Usyk began settling into the fight with straight punches and uppercuts, quickly restoring balance to the contest.
By the third round, Verhoeven regained momentum through his pressure and disruptive movement, landing clean shots that unsettled Usyk. But Usyk responded strongly in the fourth round with powerful uppercuts, one of which visibly shook Verhoeven, bringing the fight back to even terms. The fifth round clearly favored Usyk, who capitalized on Verhoeven’s declining accuracy and pressured him against the ropes with clean combinations, while the sixth round proved closely contested before Verhoeven edged it after breaking through Usyk’s defense with effective punches.
In the seventh and eighth rounds, Verhoeven continued to surprise many with his strong performance, using movement, pressure, and direct punches to disrupt Usyk and prevent him from establishing his usual rhythm, giving the Dutchman the advantage on the scorecards. But Usyk responded in the ninth round by capitalizing on Verhoeven’s aggression, landing a sharp left hand and uppercut, before also taking the 10th as his opponent began showing signs of fatigue, leveling the overall score.
In the 11th round, Usyk significantly increased the intensity of his attack, landing a series of powerful uppercuts and left hands before dropping Verhoeven with a heavy uppercut. Although Verhoeven managed to rise, the referee waved the fight off.
In a gesture reflecting great sportsmanship, Usyk later embraced his opponent and kissed him on the head in appreciation of the contest they shared.
Speaking after the fight about the difficulty of the bout, Usyk said: “The fight was tough. Rico was very well prepared, and I knew that, but it was a good fight.”
Alalshikh discussed potential future matchups, saying that several options are on the table, and that Agit Kabayel deserves an opportunity while there is also strong interest in seeing a rematch in the Netherlands.
The evening’s action had begun, with Egyptian boxer Omar Heikal launching his professional career in ideal fashion by stopping Tanzania’s Michael Kalyala in the third round, to the delight of local fans. Egyptian success continued through Mohamed Mabrouk Yahya, who secured a unanimous decision over Uganda’s Ali Sironkoma.
Saudi fighter Sultan Al-Mohammed delivered one of the most explosive moments of the preliminary card when knocking out Indonesia’s Deddy Imbrax in just 72 seconds, securing his fourth consecutive victory and further establishing himself as one of the division’s rising prospects.
In the cruiserweight division, American Jamar Talley halted the momentum of Egypt’s Bassem Mamdouh with a knockout at the end of the second round. In the light heavyweight division, French fighter Benjamin Mendes Tani closed the preliminary card with a dominant fourth-round technical knockout victory over Ukrainian boxer Daniel Lapan, scoring three knockdowns and handing his opponent the first defeat of his professional career.
As the main card got underway, Japan’s Mizuki Hirota reaffirmed her status in the super flyweight division by successfully retaining her WBO and The Ring titles with a unanimous decision victory over Egypt’s Mai Soliman, controlling the fight from the opening bell and dictating the pace throughout the contest.
The evening soon produced another dramatic moment when Cuba’s Frank Sanchez knocked out unbeaten American Richard Torrez Jr. 55 seconds into the second round with a devastating uppercut. The KO ended Torrez’s undefeated record and propelled Sanchez back into the heavyweight title picture and the race toward the IBF championship.
Britain’s Jack Catterall then delivered one of the night’s standout stories by defeating Uzbekistan’s Shakhram Giyasov by unanimous decision over 12 rounds to capture the WBA welterweight title. Catterall entered the ring carrying the weight of missed opportunities and left it as a world champion after imposing his style and neutralizing Giyasov’s threats throughout the fight.
Before the main event, Britain’s Hamzah Sheeraz completed a night of major title victories by knocking out Germany’s Alim Bigic to claim the WBO super middleweight title.
