Oleksandr Usyk avoids massive upset with controversial TKO win
Boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk was able to defend his WBC title, but with a lot of controversy.
As many expected, Oleksandr Usyk left the Pyramids of Giza with another title defense. But what perhaps people didn't see coming, is that Usyk got it done with plenty of controversy. Usyk defended his WBC heavyweight title in a crossover fight against Glory Kickboxing heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven this Saturday in front of the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
The championship fight streamed on pay-per-view on DAZN. Usyk defeated Verhoeven by TKO at the 2:59 mark of Round 11. This was one of the easier matchups on paper for Usyk, given he entered around a -2000 betting favorite on the sportsbooks.
Verhoeven, although a very decorated kickboxer, had only one professional boxing match heading into the bout with Usyk. Yet, despite the perceived mismatch. Verhoeven put on a great performance and was competitive all throughout the fight.
He connected many clean shots on Usyk and pushed the pace for the majority of the fight. The commentators, the broadcast's unofficial judge, and many online had Verhoeven up on the scorecards. Verhoeven's gutsy performance was panning out to potentially be one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.