Oleksandr Usyk was pushed to the brink by Rico Verhoeven, struggling to get the fight under control before scoring a controversial eleventh-round stoppage to win.
Few, if any, gave Verhoeven a chance to win in Egypt this weekend, given the fact that he, despite being an extremely accomplished kickboxer, had fought just two professional boxing rounds. Add to that Usyk being one of the best fighters of a generation, and it looked like an easy night’s work on paper for the unified heavyweight champion.
That was far from the case, with the challenger winning rounds on pressure and aggression, his unorthodox style making it hard for a below-par Usyk to have sustained success.
Though the official scorecards had it closer, most viewers felt that Verhoeven had done enough to build a steady lead as the bell for the eleventh sounded. The judges would ultimately not be needed, however, as the champion produced an uppercut to drop Verhoeven and, after the count, jumped on him with a barrage that led referee Mark Lyson to wave the fight off as the round ended.
Verhoeven was on his feet, and the general consensus is that he should have been allowed to come out for the twelfth and final round.
Speaking to Boxing News, Joshua was asked if he felt the Dutchman was winning before Lyson stepped in.
“Good question. I don’t know. Good fight though, I knew he was a good fighter.”
On the stoppage, ‘AJ’ – who now trains alongside Usyk, having faced him twice in the past – was much clearer. Asked if the challenger should have been given a chance to carry on, he said:
“Yeah. Definitely.”
Verhoeven has said his team will likely appeal the decision, and have raised serious questions about whether or not the stoppage came inside the allotted three minutes or after the bell.
