Usyk Survives Scare, Stops Verhoeven in 11th to Retain Heavyweight Titles at Glory in Giza

Oleksandr Usyk came dangerously close to suffering the most shocking upset in combat sports history on Saturday night, but the two-time undisputed heavyweight champion dug deep and stopped Rico Verhoeven with one second remaining in the 11th round to retain his Ring Magazine and WBC heavyweight titles at the “Glory in Giza” event in Egypt.

Verhoeven, the 37-year-old Dutch kickboxing legend who dominated the sport from 2013 to 2025 as the reigning Glory Kickboxing heavyweight champion, turned in a performance that stunned the boxing world. His aggression, awkward angles, and surprisingly tight defense had Usyk off-balance through much of the fight, and two of the three judges had the bout either even or in Verhoeven’s favor at the time of the stoppage.

Verhoeven Controls the Fight, Usyk Rallies Late

Verhoeven set the tone early, landing the more eye-catching shots throughout the opening rounds while Usyk largely stayed on the defensive. The Dutchman was busier, landed the cleaner shots, and repeatedly bullied Usyk on the inside in ways few fighters at the heavyweight level have managed against the Ukrainian champion.

Usyk did find moments — a left uppercut that visibly wobbled Verhoeven in the fourth round, a sharp left hook in the seventh — but he struggled to string together consistent combinations. By the eighth round, Verhoeven was applying consistent pressure with big right hands and left hooks, and the champion appeared to be fading. Judges Manuel Oliver Palomo and Fabian Guggenheim had the fight scored 95-95 at the time of the stoppage, while Pasquale Procopio had Verhoeven leading 96-94.

According to CompuBox, Usyk landed 112 of 499 total punches while Verhoeven connected on 113 of 508. Usyk held a 23-20 edge in jabs, but Verhoeven outworked him 93-89 in power punches landed — a telling statistic for a boxer who came in with a boxing record of 2-1.

Championship Mettle in the Closing Rounds

With the fight slipping away entering the 10th round, Usyk summoned the championship pedigree that has defined his career across two weight classes. Late in the 10th, he landed a straight left hand that sent Verhoeven reeling to the ropes. Verhoeven managed to clinch and survive to the bell, but the momentum had clearly shifted.

In the 11th, Verhoeven initially reasserted control, landing cleanly and appearing to stabilize his lead. But with roughly 20 seconds remaining in the round, Usyk landed a right uppercut that sent Verhoeven to the canvas. Verhoeven spat out his mouthpiece and rose to his feet, but walked to his corner on wobbly legs. When referee Mark Lyson restarted the action, Usyk came forward throwing a flurry. Verhoeven tried to fight back, but Lyson stepped in and stopped the contest as the final bell was about to ring — with the official time recorded at one second remaining in round 11.

Verhoeven disputed the stoppage afterward. “I thought it was an early stoppage, but at the end, it’s not up to me,” he said. “I found it a little bit early. I believe the referee knows we’re almost at the end of the round — let me go out on my shield or let the bell go.”

Usyk Calls Out Kabayel, Eyes Next Chapter

In the immediate aftermath of the fight, Usyk seemed to acknowledge just how difficult the night had been. “This fight was hard,” he said in the post-fight interview. “He did good to prepare. It was a good fight.”

The next challenge appeared to present itself before the dust had settled. Agit Kabayel, The Ring’s second-ranked heavyweight and WBC interim titleholder, entered the ring and called out Usyk directly. Usyk responded by saying he was ready to accept the fight, and Kabayel expressed interest in hosting the bout in his home country of Germany. Kabayel’s manager, Spencer Brown, suggested late September or early October as a realistic timeframe for a European stadium show.

Kabayel carries an undefeated record of 27-0 with 19 knockouts and has positioned himself as the mandatory contender in the WBC’s heavyweight division. A Usyk-Kabayel matchup in Germany would be among the biggest heavyweight events of the year, assuming both sides can finalize terms.

As for Verhoeven, the crossover experiment ultimately came up short in the most dramatic of fashions. Carrying a record of 66-10 with 21 knockouts in kickboxing, the Dutchman proved that his skillset translates better to boxing than most expected. He came within one punch and a handful of seconds of pulling off what would have been one of the greatest upsets in heavyweight history — and he gave the undisputed champion one of the toughest nights of his professional career in the process.