Oleksandr Usyk retained his WBC heavyweight title on Saturday night, stopping former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven in the 11th round at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
The event, promoted by Spencer Brown’s Goldstar and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, featured several title fights and heavyweight matchups on DAZN PPV.
Usyk started cautiously while Verhoeven attempted to use his size and physical pressure to keep the fight competitive during the early rounds. Verhoeven had moments with his right hand and tried to force clinches along the ropes, but Usyk gradually settled into the fight behind his movement, jab, and cleaner combinations.
By the middle rounds, Usyk’s timing and accuracy began separating the two fighters. Verhoeven continued pressing forward but struggled to land consistently as the Ukrainian champion controlled the pace and distance.
In the 11th round, Usyk finally broke through with a sustained attack that badly hurt Verhoeven along the ropes. The referee stepped in to stop the fight with Verhoeven exhausted and absorbing unanswered punches.
The victory kept Usyk unbeaten and added another successful defense to his heavyweight run.
Earlier on the card, Hamzah Sheeraz captured the vacant WBO super middleweight title with a second-round knockout of Alem Begic. Sheeraz controlled the fight early before ending matters with a crushing body shot that left Begic unable to continue.
Frank Sanchez also scored one of the biggest wins of the night, knocking out previously unbeaten Richard Torrez Jr. in the second round of their IBF heavyweight eliminator. Sanchez landed a perfectly timed right hand that dropped Torrez heavily and handed the American prospect his first professional defeat.
Jack Catterall defeated Shakhram Giyasov by unanimous decision to win the vacant WBA welterweight title. Catterall controlled much of the fight with his jab, counter punching, and movement after scoring an early knockdown.
Mizuki Hiruta retained her WBO female super flyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Mai Soliman after 10 rounds.
Benjamin Mendes Tani upset Daniel Lapin by fourth-round stoppage in a light heavyweight bout after repeatedly hurting him with body shots and scoring multiple knockdowns.
The undercard also featured victories for Sultan Almohammed, Jamar Talley, Mohammed Mabrouk, and Omar Hikal in shorter bouts earlier in the evening.