UKRAINIAN heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk has kept his record unblemished following a controversial referee stoppage in the World Boxing Council (WBC) title fight against Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza in Giza, Egypt on Sunday, May 24, 2026.
Usyk knocked down Verhoeven in the 11th round, but even though the latter managed to beat the 10-count, the referee still halted the bout at the 2:59 mark.
“This fight was hard. It’s a good fight. I was just boxing. My right uppercut, bomb. Thank you, God,” said Usyk, whose record climbed to 25-0 with 16 KOs.
Verhoeven questioned why the fight was stopped when only one second was left in the 11th round.
“I thought it was an early stoppage, but in the end it’s not up to me,” the 37-year-old Verhoeven said. “The referee knows that we are almost at the end of the round, so either let me go out on my shield or let the bell go.”
According to the scorecards released by Ring magazine after the fight, two of the three judges scored the bout a 95-95 draw, while the third judge had Verhoeven ahead, 96-94. / RSC
