Oleksandr Usyk defeated Rico Verhoeven by technical knockout in the 11th round to retain his heavyweight championship belts.
Verhoeven started the fight more aggressively, while Usyk kept his opponent at range. The two exchanged heavy punches in the third round, with Verhoeven landing a sharp attack.
By the middle of the fourth round, however, Usyk became more active offensively, connecting with uppercuts and combinations. Verhoeven also landed a dangerous right-hand shot.
Verhoeven maintained his intensity in the second half of the fight, reaching the sixth round for the first time in his career and continuing to attack aggressively in the eighth.
Usyk was pressed against the ropes again in the ninth round. Near the end of the 10th, both fighters exchanged punches as Usyk launched an attack and Verhoeven responded with a counter.
In the 11th round, Usyk sent Verhoeven to the canvas with a straight punch. Another barrage of punches from the Ukrainian boxer forced the referee to stop the fight, giving Usyk a stoppage victory.
The WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles were on the line, and Usyk successfully defended them. He also retained his WBA and IBF world championship belts.
The win over Verhoeven was the 25th victory of Usyk’s professional career (25-0, 15 KOs). It was also his sixth consecutive successful title defense since moving up to heavyweight.
