Overview
- In a headline fight staged at the Pyramids of Giza on May 23, 2026, Oleksandr Usyk won by TKO with 1 second left of the 11th round and retained the WBC belt.
- Referee Mark Lyson stopped the bout after Usyk’s late uppercut and a brief follow-up flurry, a sequence that included a mouthpiece delay and which many viewers and Verhoeven’s team say occurred at or after the bell.
- Official scorecards through 10 rounds were razor‑close at 95-95, 95-95 and 96-94 and CompuBox numbers showed Verhoeven landed 113 punches to Usyk’s 112, underlining how tight the fight was before the stoppage.
- Verhoeven has signaled an appeal and promoters have discussed both an immediate rematch and fulfilling WBC mandatory Agit Kabayel’s shot, while the IBF had imposed conditions that complicate the title picture.
- The result fast-tracks wider debates about referee timing, sanctioning rules for crossover bouts and the human cost to fighters denied a final round to change the outcome.