Oleksandr Usyk won the WBC world heavyweight title fight. On Sunday night, May 24, the Ukrainian defeated Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven by technical knockout.
The championship fight between Usyk and Verhoeven sensationally went the full 11 rounds. The winner of the fight was determined by technical knockout 1 second before the end of the 11th round: first the Ukrainian boxer knocked Rico down, and then continued his attacks, as a result of which the referee stopped the fight early.
Despite the victory, Usyk had a difficult fight against Verhoeven, in particular, he was inferior according to the judges' notes: one judge gave the Dutchman an advantage, while two recorded a draw. After the fight, Rico accused the referee of stopping the fight early. According to him, the judge should not have counted the technical knockout one second before the gong.