Pound-for-pound great Oleksandr Usyk produced a dramatic comeback to controversially stop kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven in the penultimate round of their heavyweight showdown on Saturday night.
It was Usyk’s first ring appearance since he etched his name into the boxing history books once again when he knocked out Daniel Dubois to capture the undisputed heavyweight champion for the second time last July.
The iconic Pyramids of Giza played host to the heavyweight spectacle, which saw the Ukrainian superstar successfully defend his unified WBC and WBA world titles with an 11th-round stoppage victory, though not without drama.
Verhoeven put on an outstanding display in what was only his 2nd professional boxing bout, finding himself, in the eyes of most, in a comfortable lead prior to the controversial stoppage by referee Mark Lyson.
There was just one second remaining in the 11th round before the fight was waved off, leaving Verhoeven’s corner outraged at the shock decision, which stopped the Dutchman pulling off a monumental upset.
Speaking in the post-fight interview, Agit Kabayal’s manager Spencer Brown hinted that Usyk will likely have one more fight before announcing his retirement from boxing, and he said it must come against his man. In response, the Ukrainian said ‘I’m ready’ – though he will likely take his time to make any decision on his future after what was a well below-par performance.
Indeed, the Kabayel defence has been ordered by the WBC, however boxing powerborker Turki Alalshikh also said he would like to see a rematch with Verhoeven – something most will feel the Dutchman deserves.
Alalshikh also recently revealed that he is planning on securing an opportunity for Usyk to fight in Turkey next year, which could be Kabayel’s big chance at becoming a world heavyweight champion after being made to wait over the last few years.
