Rico Verhoeven was on his feet, gloves up, one second from hearing the bell to end the 11th round. He was also even or ahead on every official scorecard. Then the referee stepped in. Oleksandr Usyk retained his WBC heavyweight title with a stoppage at 2:59 of the round, ending a fight he was not winning on a single card against an opponent few had given a chance. Usyk improved to 25-0 (16 KOs); Verhoeven, the former Glory kickboxing champion in his second professional boxing match, dropped to 1-1.
Only the WBC belt was at stake. The bout was unsanctioned by the IBF and WBA under special terms: the IBF ruled its title would be vacated rather than awarded to Verhoeven had Usyk lost, and the WBA counted the bout as a successful defense while stating Verhoeven could not claim its title in an upset. Verhoeven weighed 258.7 pounds to Usyk’s 233.3, a 25-pound advantage for the Dutchman.
The scoring
Through 10 completed rounds, Usyk trailed or was level on all three official cards. Judges Manuel Oliver Palomo and Fabian Guggenheim had it even at 95-95, while Pasquale Procopio scored it 96-94 for Verhoeven. The 11th round was not entered on the cards, as the fight was stopped before its conclusion, so the knockdown Usyk scored in that round is not reflected in any official total. The BoxingInsider card had Verhoeven ahead by four points at the time of the stoppage.
By any of those measures, Usyk needed the finish. He was a single round, or a knockdown the other way, from a draw or the loss of his title, which is the context for how he opened the 11th.
Round-by-round
Round 1. Verhoeven marched forward and landed a clean right hand over the top, then connected with another heavy right late to control the pace.
Round 2. Verhoeven kept throwing heavy shots. Usyk opened up with an uppercut and more volume but little power, as Verhoeven continued to press.
Round 3. Usyk let Verhoeven punch himself out while landing crisp jabs and body shots. Verhoeven stayed aggressive but was warned for an elbow.
Round 4. Usyk turned the corner. A three-punch combination staggered Verhoeven, and a follow-up uppercut knocked his mouthpiece loose. Verhoeven clinched to recover.
Round 5. Usyk took control with stick-and-move tactics, counter rights, and a steady jab, closing with a flurry as Verhoeven’s punches lost zip.
Round 6. Usyk landed sharp left uppercuts early. Verhoeven kept pressuring and worked the clinches but missed often in a competitive final minute.
Round 7. Usyk landed a clean counter right and chased Verhoeven with left hands. Verhoeven briefly switched to southpaw and landed hard shots, but Usyk connected cleaner.
Round 8. Both landed simultaneous left hooks. Verhoeven connected with a heavy right before Usyk countered with a left and an uppercut and forced a clinch.
Round 9. Verhoeven remained the aggressor, backing Usyk to the ropes. Usyk was under duress at times but landed a counter left late.
Round 10. Usyk landed short punches and a clean left while Verhoeven worked the body in the corner. Usyk answered with bigger shots that briefly troubled Verhoeven and closed with a flurry.
Round 11. Usyk came out ripping body shots and created separation, then landed a right uppercut that dropped Verhoeven. Verhoeven beat the count and had his mouthpiece reinserted. Usyk went straight back to him, unloading a sustained barrage as Verhoeven stopped throwing back. With roughly one second left in the round, the referee waved it off. Verhoeven was still standing when the fight was stopped, and the timing drew immediate debate: he had absorbed the flurry without going down again, and the bell was a beat away. Usyk’s knockdown and closing salvo preceded the call.
