EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsOleksandr Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs) survived a scare against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven to score a controversial 11th round TKO and prevent what would have been a monumental upset in front of the pyramids of Giza, Egypt.With the fight being even on two of the three judges' scorecards, an incensed Usyk dropped Verhoeven in the final seconds of Round 11 with a right uppercut. Verhoeven managed to get to his feet on shaky legs with ten seconds left but was battered by a barrage of violent punches from Usyk. Rather than allow Verhoeven to continue into the final round, referee Mark Lyson called off the fight, seemingly after the bell sounded, earning Usyk the stoppage win officially at 2:59.Two judges had the fight 95-95 while a third judge saw it 96-94 for Verhoeven at the time of the stoppage."The fight was hard," said Usyk. "But I just boxed. It was my right uppercut. Bam!"Fighting out of the Netherlands, Verhoeven, who is widely recognized as one of the best kickboxers of all time and held the Glory Kickboxing heavyweight title for 4,220 days, gave the three-time undisputed champion fits with his unorthodox movement, which troubled Usyk throughout the first half of the fight.Usyk, 39, looked sluggish and uncertain early on but began to get a read on his opponent in the second half of the fight. He managed to pick his spots at just the right time to escape Egypt with his undefeated record still intact.Usyk, who opted for a fight with the lauded kickboxer after defeating Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois twice each, was a massive betting favorite. Ahead of the fight, he defend his choice to take on a kickboxer who had only boxed once in his career back in 2014."For the first time, I am doing what I really want to do. Not what I must do and not what people expect from me," Usyk told ESPN.Doing what he wanted to do nearly ended in disaster for ESPN's No. 2 pound-for-pound boxer.Verhoeven, 37, had a distinct size advantage, weighing in at 258.7 pounds to Usyk's 233.3 pounds, but it was nothing the three-time undisputed champion hadn't dealt with before. However, what Usyk didn't anticipate was the unorthodox movement from his opponent and the inability to track him down while getting nailed by power punches.Verhoeven started off fast, charging at his smaller opponent and strafing him with right hands behind his jerky movement. Usyk began setting up the uppercut early, but Verhoeven never stopped moving, relentlessly charging forward and slamming right hands into the champion.It looked like things were about to go downhill for Verhoeven in Round 3 when he was caught by a hard uppercut from Usyk and badly hurt. He would survive the round and showed steel resolve as he showed no ill effects heading into the following round.As the round wore on, the possibility of a monumental upset began to take shape as Verhoeven refused to back down and kept a fierce pace. But Usyk remained composed, albeit not the version who had dismantled the rest of the heavyweight division, and decided to go after the finish rather than wait for it.The uppercut that he had set up all night found its home in Round 11 and sent Verhoeven's mouthguard flying as he crashed to the canvas. Completely fatigued and discombobulated, Verhoeven was given a few extra seconds to collect himself as the referee fumbled putting his mouthguard in. Usyk salivated for the opportunity for the fight to resume and cashed out with a barrage of punches.Usyk landed 112 of 499 punches (22%) to Verhoeven's 113 of 508 punches (22%) but it was the final blitz from Usyk that saved him from a shocking defeat.The ending was immediately protested by Verhoeven's corner, and the kickboxer also disagreed with the outcome but was respectful of the decision."I thought it was an early stoppage, but in the end, it's not up to me," said Verhoeven. "I believe the referee knows that we're almost at the end of the round. [He could have] let me go out on my shield or let the bell go. That's what I thought. But like I said, it's not up to me and I was already super thankful for the opportunity."Usyk was presented two options for his next fight: a rematch with Verhoeven or a heavyweight showdown with Agit Kabayel. As always, Usyk didn't shy away from either opponent."Not a problem," Usyk said. "Let's do it."
