Usyk survives scare with 11th round stoppage of Verhoeven
Olexsandr Usyk survived a scare as he defended his WBC world heavyweight title by stopping Rico Verhoeven at the end of the 11th round in Egypt. Kickboxing world champion Verhoeven had the unbeaten Usyk under pressure in the shadow of the pyramids, but the Ukrainian clinched victory with a second left in the round. Usyk, who also holds the WBA and IBF titles, put Verhoeven on the canvas with a left uppercut and although the Dutch fighter beat the count, a flurry of punches from the champion saw the referee step in and end the fight.
Verhoeven, in just his second fight and first since 2014, had threatened to spring one of boxing's biggest surprises as he frustrated Usyk. The 37-year-old appeared to throw Usyk with his unorthodox stance and struck first in the opening round, although the champion responded in the second. Usyk, 39, was not moving freely and was caught several times as the pace slowed into the middle rounds.
He came under pressure on the ropes as Verhoeven threatened the upset, catching Usyk with a strong right hand in the eighth before the Ukrainian responded with a left late in the round. Verhoeven again forced Usyk back onto the ropes in the ninth round and kept up the pressure in the 10th, but Usyk survived and delivered the decisive blows late in the 11th round. Speaking to Dazn, Usyk said: "This fight was hard.
It was a good fight. " He said he was "ready" to fight Germany's WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel, who was in the ring after the fight. Verhoeven said: "I thought it was an early stoppage but in the end it's not up to me.
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