Usyk avoids upset to Verhoeven with 11th round stoppage - ESPN

Oleksandr 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