Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk defeated Dutch boxer Rico Verhoeven at the Giza Arena — in the 11th round he knocked down his opponent.
After the fight resumed in the 11th round, the Ukrainian athlete continued to attack Verhoeven, causing the referee to declare a technical knockout.
Usyk retained his WBC and IBF heavyweight world championship belts. In addition, he received the exclusive WBC “King of the Nile” belt. This is Usyk’s 25th victory in the professional ring.
"This victory is very important to me, but right now my people in Ukraine are in bomb shelters, under attack. My daughter wrote to me: ʼDad, you will win.ʼ Rico, you are extraordinary. My team, I love you, you are the best. Kateryna, you are my life and my heart," the Ukrainian boxer said after the victory.
Usykʼs fights
- The first fight between Usyk and Dubois took place in August 2023. Then the Ukrainian boxer won an early victory in the 9th round by technical knockout. One of the key moments of the fight occurred in the 5th round. The Briton punched Usyk below the belt, which caused the Ukrainian to lose his footing. The referee stopped the fight and gave Usyk a few minutes to recover.
- In May 2024, Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury to become the absolute world heavyweight champion and the first absolute super heavyweight champion to hold all the belts: WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO and WBC. After that, Fury called for a rematch. In December of the same year, Usyk defeated the British boxer for the second time and retained the world boxing title.
- In June 2024, Oleksandr Usyk voluntarily relinquished the IBF title. He could not simultaneously hold a rematch with Tyson Fury and defend this title in a fight with challenger Filip Hrgovic. Because of this, Usyk lost the status of the absolute world heavyweight champion.
- The IBF title remained vacant, and a separate fight was held for it. In June, it was Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois who competed for the belt. Dubois won by knockout and became the new IBF world champion.
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