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Oleksandr Usyk defended his world title in Riyad, defeating kickboxing icon Rico Verhoeven in the 11th round.
Verhoeven turned out to be a much tougher test for Usyk than many expected.
From the first bell, the Dutchman proved to be a problem, firing two tidy shots – one from above straight into the champion’s jaw, and the other a nasty shot to the body.
To the surprise of many, Verhoeven dominated most of the fight, with many viewers scoring just two or three rounds in favor of the Ukrainian.
Not only was Verhoeven in control, but he appeared to have hurt Usyk on numerous occasions, who looked nothing like the elusive champion we had become so accustomed to over the years.
Verhoeven went down in the 11th minute and went over the count before the referee led him to the corner to adjust his mouthpiece.
Ten seconds into the penultimate round, Usyk launched a brutal attack that injured Verhoeven, but he continued to fight. Nevertheless, the referee stepped in at 2:59 of the 11th round and called off the fight.
Many were outraged by the stoppage, with Derek Chisora calling it a “assault” and Ryan Garcia believing the round was already over by the time the referee stepped in.
In an in-ring interview after his victory, Usyk admitted that his opponent was right.
“Thank you so much Rico, you are an amazing fighter; my team, I love you; you are the best.
“That fight was tough, it was a good fight; I was just boxing, me I threw a right uppercut and bam bam bam.”
Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Alem Begic
Hamzah Sheeraz became the world champion in Egypt, easily defeating undefeated Alem Begić, and then challenged the other super middleweight champions.
From the first round, Sheeraz looked smarter and punched the German at will. Sheeraz was a bigger, stronger fighter and that was all that mattered.
He began to make the German pay in the second round before unleashing a brutal body attack that dropped Begic, who was unable to count.
After his victory he said: “I will fight anyone, we know who was supposed to be in the ring tonight; if Canelo wins [against Mbilli] it’s up to him whether he will fight me; he is one of the GOATS.”
Shakhram Giyasov vs. Jack Catterall
Jack Catterall lifted the WBA welterweight title and did it in style against Shakhram Giyasov.
Catterall made his presence felt from the first bell, beating Giyasov with a powerful back kick. Already in the first round, he repeatedly injured the Uzbek, who did well to stay alive.
Giyasov recovered well from the opening round, but won very few rounds, and “El Gato” probably did enough to convince the judges in each session.
Undercard remaining
Frank Sanchez scored a significant victory over Richard Torrez Jr., who was the clear favorite in the competition.
The American entered the contest ranked eighth by The Ring magazine, while Sanchez returned after a more than 400-day absence from the ring.
Torrez started well and looked the quicker, smarter as he backed the Cuban into the corner, but was caught in the second round. He was left exposed in the pocket and Sanchez made no mistake, landing a devastating right hook to finish off his man.
Mizuka Hiruta successfully defended her WBO super flyweight title against Egyptian fighter Mai Soliman, with three judges scoring the fight 98-92, 98-92 and 99-91.
Hiruta wasted no time in challenging undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora.
Usyk’s stablemate Daniel Lapin was stunned by the sight of Benjamin Mendes Tani’s pyramids. The Ukrainian was undefeated until tonight, and his last victory was a stoppage in the first round in his own country.
Tani kept the pressure on and threw his fighter three times before the referee stopped the fight in the fourth round.
Three Egyptian players were involved in stoppages early in the match. Basem Madouh was stopped at home by undefeated Jamar Talley in the second round, and Omar Hilkal stopped his opponent in the third round of his professional debut.
Mohamed Mabrouk Yehya won by unanimous decision in his debut, and Saudi Arabia’s Sultan Almohammed improved to 4-0 after a first-round stoppage.
The post Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven – results and post-fight report appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven weighed in today before Saturday’s fight in front of the pyramids.
Verhoeven he is a heavy underdog against Usyk, who has dominated the heavyweight division for the past seven years.
“The Cat” enters the competition with a career-high weight of 233.3 pounds compared to the bigger man, Verhoeven, who tipped the scales at 258.7 pounds
Verhoeven had only one professional boxing fight before Saturday night’s main event; defeated Janos Finfera (0-5) in 2014.
He is trained by Peter Fury, Tyson’s uncle, and will be looking to score a victory as monumental, if not more so, than Fury’s night in Dusseldorf when he dethroned long-reigning champion Wladimir Klitschko; Peter Fury was in the corner that night.
Usyk will look to defend his WBC world title on Saturday – a belt he first won as a heavyweight against Tyson Fury when he became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
‘The Cat’ was last in action last July when he knocked out Daniel Dubois in front of 88,000 fans at a packed Wembley Stadium.
In his last five fights, the Ukrainian has fought Anthony Joshua twice, Dubois twice and Tyson Fury twice, winning all of them; so on paper Verhoeven seems like a step down.
He enters the competition as a relatively unknown figure, but if his kickboxing career tells any story before Saturday, it is his elite cardio routine and impressive boxing technique, honed under Fury’s tutelage over the past decade.
Underdog Hamzah Sheeraz hopes to win his first world title after losing to Carlos Adames last February; will face undefeated Alem Begic.
All fighters will take part in the ceremonial weigh-in live on The Ring Magazine’s YouTube channel, live from 18:00 GMT.
Undercard scales
Hamzah Sheeraz vs Alem Begic – WBO super middleweight world title – 10 rounds
Hamzah Sheeraz – 167.9 lbs
Alem Begić – 166.9 pounds
Shakhram Giyasov vs Jack Catterall – WBA world title (regular) welterweight – 12 rounds
Shakhram Giyasov – 145.7 pounds
Jack Catterall – 146.8 pounds
Frank Sanchez vs. Richard Torrez Jr – heavyweight – 12 rounds
Frank Sanchez – 240.4 pounds
Richard Torrez Jr – 229.5 pounds
Mizuki Hiruta vs Mai Soliman – WBO super flyweight world title – 10 rounds
Mizuki Hiruta – 114.7 lbs
May Soliman – 114 pounds
Daniel Lapin vs Benjamin Mendes Tani – IBF intercontinental and WBO international lithe heavyweight titles – 10 rounds
Daniel Lapin: 173.8 pounds
Benjamin Mendes Low-cost: 174.4 pounds
Sultan Almohammed vs Dedy Imprax – lightweight – 4 rounds
Sultan Almohammed: 127.8 lbs
Dedy Impraks: 125.7 lbs
Mohamed Mabrouk Yehya vs Ali Sserunkuma – super lightweight – 4 rounds
Mohamed Mabrouk Yehya: 138.9 pounds
Weight: 141.5 lbs
Basem Mamdouh vs Jamar Talley – cruiserweight – 6 rounds
Basem Mamdouh: 192.8lbs
Jamar Talley: 197.7 pounds
Omar Hikal vs Michael Kalyalya – middleweight – 4 rounds
Omar Hikal: 161.1 pounds
Michael Kalyalya: 160.2 pounds
The post Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven – Weigh-in results appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
History will be made on Saturday when Oleksandr Usyk defends his status as the best heavyweight in the world against Rico Verhoeven.
The Usyk vs Verhoeven fight is the contender’s second professional boxing fight. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
Verhoeven is nicknamed the “King of Kickboxing” and his professional kickboxing record is 54-10 with 16 stoppages along the way.
He was born in the Netherlands and made his professional debut at the age of only 16.
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The Dutchman is widely considered one of the best, if not the best, kickboxers of all time. In 2014, he became the GLORY heavyweight champion of the world.
The 37-year-old dominated and defended the title for over a decade.
‘𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐋𝐄’
𓁀
Who takes it home @WBCBoxing, @usykaa Or @RicoVerhoeven ?
#UsykVerhoeven pic.twitter.com/0z4h8e66zy
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) May 21, 2026
He is respected in the kickboxing world for his elite cardio skills, technical skills and fighting IQ, and is known to many for his celebrated rivalry with Badr Hari, a man he stopped twice in three years.
Verhoeven is 6 feet 5 inches and has a reach of 200 cm compared to his opponent Usyk who is 6 feet 3 inches and has a reach of 198 cm.
Despite challenging a man who is considered by many to be boxing’s number one, this will be only Verhoeven’s second professional boxing fight.
𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐊𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐑 𝐔𝐒𝐘𝐊 𝐈𝐒 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐈𝐍 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐃
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) May 20, 2026
The only time he stepped into the squared circle was in 2014, before he won either of his kickboxing titles.
In Germany, he faced Janos Finfera 0:5 and made no mistake, stopping his opponent in the second round.
His fight with the Ukrainian will take place in front of ul Pyramids of Gizathe first spectacle in this sport, which should prove to be a historic spectacle.
OLEKSANDR USYK
RICO VERHOEVEN
– FIRST RETURN IN FIGHT WEEK
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) May 19, 2026
The event was organized by Turki Alalshikh and The Ring Magazine and will be broadcast live on DAZN pay-per-view.
For the past decade, Verhoeven has worked with a highly respected boxing coach Piotr Furywhich helped develop his boxing skills into his kickboxing career.
Verhoeven and Fury have both talked about how beneficial it has been to focus solely on boxing for the past six months; was originally set to face Anthony Joshua.
The entry Who is Rico Verhoeven? Meet Oleksandr Usyk’s next opponent appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
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