Usyk vs Rico: Ukrainian heavyweight champion stops novice in controversial 11th-round stoppage win

A lucky Oleksandr Usyk retained his world heavyweight title with a highly controversial 11th-round stoppage victory over boxing novice Rico Verhoeven in Egypt.

Verhoeven, in just his second professional boxing fight, was an open aggressor for long periods of time and stunned the generational grandmaster Usyk in a way no one expected.

Ukrainian Usyk, probably behind the referee cards, made a late move and delivered a sharp left uppercut that sent the Dutchman to the canvas.

Verhoeven beat the count, but flurry in the closing seconds of the round caused the referee to step in and cancel the game; This was a decision that seemed extremely harsh on the opponent.