Terence Crawford dethroned Canelo Alvarez in September 2025 by unanimous decision.

Canelo has now lost three times in his career, defeating only elite fighters; Floyd Mayweather, Dmitry Bivol and Crawford. The four-division world champion from Mexico has never been stopped or even knocked down in his 68-fight career.

In his match against Crawford, Canelo suffered his first loss at super middleweight, even though Crawford had moved up significantly to capture Alvarez’s undisputed crown and become the first undisputed three-weight champion since Henry Armstrong in 1938. It was a comprehensive victory, but Alvarez once again didn’t look hurt despite 31 KOs on Bud’s ledger.

I keep talking The Joe Rogan experienceCrawford – who retired a few months after this latest victory – explained that he felt he was unable to keep the Mexican icon at bay due to his “ginger” genetics.

“They say redheads are difficult to knock out. It’s proven, I googled them, what are they called? Redheads. I assure you.”

“Yes, [they have a higher pain tolerance]I looked it up because my cousin is a nurse and she said, “Yes, those redheads, it’s difficult to put them to sleep even if you give them anesthetic to lend a hand them sleep.”

“When she told me that, I thought, ‘Damn! That’s why Canelo can take so many good shots.'”

Studies show that natural redheads often require approximately 20% more general anesthesia to maintain sedation and may be resistant to local anesthetics. Less explored is how this translates into the ring.

Alvarez will be looking to show his resilience again as he tries to regain the WBC super middleweight title on September 12 in Riyad, where will face newly crowned champion Christian Mbilli.

In statement released on Tuesday, Verhoeven revealed details of the ruling and the protest filed by his team following the May 23 heavyweight title fight at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt.

“The ruling confirmed that the bell ending round 11 had already sounded before the referee physically waved his hand to end the fight,” Verhoeven said. “The ringside doctor also confirmed that I did not show any signs of disorientation or disorientation after the fight.”

However, the commission found that these findings did not change the official result, leaving Usyk’s 11th-round stoppage victory intact.

Verhoeven also renewed his call for a second fight with the Ukrainian champion.

“For me, the conclusion is actually very elementary. Let’s end this story and give the fans an immediate rematch,” Verhoeven said.

The stoppage became one of boxing’s most talked-about moments of the year after the bell sounded with Usyk charging slow in the 11th round before the referee stepped in moments later to stop the fight.

Usyk retained his WBC heavyweight title with the victory. At the time of the stoppage, the official scorecards read 96-94 for Verhoeven and 95-95 twice, showing how close the fight remained heading into the final stages.

However, a rematch is not guaranteed. Usyk could instead be sent to mandatory challenger for the WBC title Agit Kabayel, who remains in line for a title fight.

Rico Verhoeven has shared his reaction after the decision to dismiss him following his controversial defeat to Oleksandr Usyk was revealed.

Kickboxing legend Verhoeven challenged Usyk for the heavyweight crown last month at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, in a fight that most people thought was a large mismatch.

That certainly wasn’t the case, however, as the Dutchman fought Usyk side-by-side for 11 rounds and it looked like the challenger might be on the verge of one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

In the final phase of the 11th round, Usyk finally fired the shot that knocked down Verhoeven, and although the kickboxing star was able to get back on his feet, further action in the corner led to referee Mark Lyson stopping the fight, which many fans prematurely believed.

Further controversy arose when it emerged that the bell signaling the end of the round had already rung before the stoppage, leading to Verhoeven filing a formal appeal against the defeat.

The Dutchman has now announced the outcome of the appeal in a statement on social mediarevealing that he failed to meet the challenge because the committee found that relevant factors did not change the outcome of the competition.

“On May 24, we filed a formal protest because we truly believed that the way the fight was stopped was seriously questionable. On June 16, we received the Commission’s decision.

“The ruling confirmed that the bell to end round 11 had already sounded before the referee physically waved his hand to end the fight. The official timekeeper said exactly that. The ringside doctor also confirmed that I did not show any signs of disorientation or disorientation after the fight. In the Commission’s opinion, none of these findings changed the result.”

Despite the failure of the appeal, Verhoeven once again made it clear that he believed Usyk should do the right thing and award the rematch.

“Listen, this was never about taking anything away from Oleksandr. He is one of the greatest riders of his generation and I have nothing but respect for what he has done. What remains in my mind is that after eleven unforgettable rounds on one of the biggest and most epic stages in the world, history simply stopped before it was over.

“I truly believe that everyone deserved a chance to see how this fight ended. The fans were denied a 12th round. After everything we both put into this fight, they deserved to see this end.”

“So for me the conclusion is actually very elementary. Let’s end this story and give the fans an immediate rematch!”

For now, it appears Usyk has one of two options for his next fight – either a rematch with Verhoeven or a clash with mandatory WBC title challenger Agit Kabayel.