Highlights! Usyk Survives Rico, Bad Stoppage Tarnishes Win
Pound-for-pound great, Oleksandr Usyk, was back in action earlier today (Sat., May 23, 2026), defending his WBC Heavyweight title against kickboxing legend, Rico Verhoeven, in front of the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt, in what was truly a one-of-kind setting for a boxing match. It took a bit for Usyk to get warmed up, […]
CAIRO, EGYPT - MAY 23: Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven compete during the WBC and WBA World Heavyweight Titles fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven as part of the Glory in Giza Fight Night at Pyramids Panorama 2 on May 23, 2026 in Cairo, Egypt. (Photo by Mohamed Hossam/Getty Images) | Getty Images Pound-for-pound great, Oleksandr Usyk , was back in action earlier today (Sat. , May 23, 2026), defending his WBC Heavyweight title against kickboxing legend, Rico Verhoeven , in front of the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt, in what was truly a one-of-kind setting for a boxing match.
It took a bit for Usyk to get warmed up, as Verhoeven tried to set the pace early. And set the pace he did, clipping the champ with big shots early on. And that was the story for the first four rounds, with Rico pushing the pacing, easily winning the first two frames.
Undeterred, “The Cat” played it cool, analyzed and found his groove as the rounds went by, winning a few rounds. Still, Rico never backed down and always kept pushing the pace, tagging the champion with big shots along the way. Usyk couldn’t find his groove after Rico started to push the pressure again and clearly won round five through 10 and was well on his way to an upset loss for the ages.
But in waning moments of round 11, Usyk tagged an over-zealous Verhoeven with a nasty uppercut that dropped him. After answering the call, the warning for the final 10 seconds sounded. But in an interesting twist, Rico’s mouthpiece came out, forcing the referee to put a stop to the fight, giving Rico time to put it in, as well as Usyk valuable seconds to finish the fight.