Usyk vs Verhoeven scorecards cause big upset after Glory fight in Giza
Oleksandr Usyk took down Rico Verhoeven in the 11th round of tonight’s ‘Glory in Giza’ fight, but the scoring left many people feeling upset.
Usyk didn’t perform at his best against Verhoeven, a kickboxer turned boxer, and before the stoppage, most fans and experts thought Usyk would win by decision.
In the 11th round, Usyk landed a strong uppercut that knocked Verhoeven down. Verhoeven got up before the count of ten, but Usyk followed with a quick series of punches. The referee then stopped the fight, keeping Usyk as the undefeated heavyweight champ at age 39.
What surprised many was that the fight was stopped with just one second left in the round, leading some to say Verhoeven was saved by the bell.
Usyk’s record is now 25-0, with 16 wins by knockout. After the fight, he thanked God and Verhoeven and shared some honest thoughts about the match.
On DAZN, Tony Bellew called Verhoeven’s showing “almost the biggest surprise boxing has ever seen” and said it was the first time he saw Usyk get outworked in the ring like this.
Shortly after, Canadian journalist Ariel Helwani shared the judges’ scorecards on X (formerly Twitter). Through 10 rounds, two judges had the fight even at 95-95, while one had Verhoeven slightly ahead at 96-94. This caused a lot of frustration in the boxing world.
Bellew, who lost to Usyk in 2018, said Usyk was actually losing and getting outlanded at the end of rounds. He praised Verhoeven, saying even though he didn’t win officially, his performance was a huge surprise. Bellew suggested a rematch since it was unclear if Verhoeven could have made it to round 12.
Usyk might now fight either Agit Kabayel or have a rematch with Verhoeven. He seemed open to fighting Kabayel after the match.
Verhoeven became a fan favorite tonight due to his strong effort. He told DAZN he thought the referee stopped things too early and wished he could have fought until the very end. He felt the scorecards were close and that he was doing well.
But the official scores told a different story, and many fans and experts disagreed. Some fans even complained about corruption in boxing, saying the open scoring announced during the fight showed clear bias.
Usyk is likely to fight Kabayel next, but many people are already calling for a second bout with Verhoeven after such a dramatic and controversial finish.