How a Kickboxing Legend Almost Shocked the Boxing World!
Rico vs Usyk – Against the backdrop of the ancient Pyramids of Giza, under the starlit Egyptian sky on May 23, 2026, the world expected another boxing masterclass from Oleksandr Usyk, the Ukrainian wizard who had danced through heavyweight division’s best with the grace of a ballet dancer and the precision of a surgeon. What we witnessed instead was something far more primal—a story of heart, guts, and the kind of underdog magic that makes combat sports the theater of dreams that it is.
Usyk, the undefeated undisputed heavyweight Boxing champion at 25-0, was facing Rico Verhoeven—a decorated kickboxing Champion making only his second professional boxing appearance. The odds reflected reality: Usyk was a staggering -2500 favorite, a man so technically superior that this seemed more exhibition than competition. But as the sands of Giza have witnessed for millennia, the desert doesn’t always follow the script.
Rico vs Usyk The Fight: When the Giant Woke
The opening rounds told a story Usyk had never experienced. Verhoeven, the 37-year-old Dutchman with over 4,000 days as kickboxing’s heavyweight king, wasn’t just surviving—he was thriving. His size advantage became apparent early as he worked in close, forcing Usyk to cover up against the ropes.
“Verhoeven controlled the fight early with his size, power and ability to absorb Usyk’s punches,” reported ringside observers. “He looked headed for victory until the 11th-round TKO and clearly earned Usyk’s respect.”
By the third round, the chants had shifted from “Usyk, Usyk” to “Let’s go Rico”—the kind of atmospheric change that signals something extraordinary is unfolding. The kickboxing champion was finding his rhythm, his awkward style creating problems for the master boxer.
In the eighth round, Verhoeven’s kickboxing footwork created an opening that Usyk had never faced before—a thunderous right hand that rocked the Ukrainian champion. “He stuck to the trainer’s instruction and a lethargic Usyk was rocked again in the eighth by a right hand,” one report noted, “but the champion came alive in the 10th and 11th.”
The ninth and tenth rounds saw Verhoeven continuing to press his advantage, his confidence growing with each landed shot. Usyk, for the first time in his heavyweight career, looked human—vulnerable even. The unthinkable was becoming possible: the greatest upset in heavyweight boxing history was unfolding before the ancient pyramids.
The Rocky Moment: When the Underdog Became the Champion
What happened next was pure cinema. As the 11th round began, something shifted in Usyk. The Ukrainian champion, sensing history slipping away, unleashed the championship DNA that had defined his career.
“He came alive in the 10th and 11th, unleashing a flurry of punches and repeatedly finding the uppercut—the shot that had given him his most success all night,” one observer wrote. With just one second remaining in the round, Usyk dropped Verhoeven with a perfectly timed combination.
What followed was chaos. Verhoeven beat the count, but with only seconds remaining, the referee waved off the fight—a controversial decision that would be debated for weeks to come. “In a chaotic ending, Usyk dropped the challenger late in the 11th round and the referee waved it off after Usyk pounced when Verhoeven beat the count shortly before the bell,” reported The Guardian. “With so little time left in the round, it was a hugely controversial call from the referee.”
As one ringside commentator put it, “This is the closest thing to Rocky getting up off the canvas.” The boxing world was split on the stoppage, but everyone agreed on one thing: Rico Verhoeven had proven he belonged.
The Rocky Parallel: From Philadelphia to Giza
The parallels to Sylvester Stallone’s iconic underdog story were impossible to ignore. Like Rocky Balboa stepping into the ring against Apollo Creed, Verhoeven—a relative novice in boxing—was given little chance against the pound-for-pound master. Yet through sheer heart, toughness, and belief, he not only survived but thrived for most of the fight.
“I thought it was incredible, I thought Rico was unbelievable, it was the rhythm, Usyk couldn’t come to terms with it,” promoter Eddie Hearn told IFL TV after the fight. “I had Rico up in the fight, going into the 11th round. I felt like Usyk buzzed him in the 10th. I said to AJ, ‘he’s got to stick it on him now, I think he can stop him’, and he did stop him, it was a poor stoppage.”
Even Usyk acknowledged the special nature of Verhoeven’s performance: “Thank you so much, Rico,” the champion said afterward. “You are an amazing fighter. Thank you so much to your team.” This wasn’t just respect—it was recognition that he had been in a real fight, perhaps the most unexpected challenge of his career.
Rico vs Usyk The Aftermath: What This Means for Both Warriors
For Usyk, the fight revealed both vulnerability and championship resilience. The controversial nature of the stoppage may hang over his legacy, but his ability to find another gear when facing defeat proved once again why he’s the undisputed king. The fight also humanized him—showing that even the masters can be pushed to their limits by a man with nothing to lose and everything to prove.
For Verhoeven, the performance was a statement that transcended the result. In just his second professional boxing match, he had gone toe-to-toe with the best in the world and nearly walked away with the title. His stock in both boxing and kickboxing has never been higher, and the respect he earned from fans and fighters alike is immeasurable.
The fight also highlighted something deeper about combat sports—the magic that happens when heart meets skill, when an underdog refuses to believe he’s supposed to lose. As Verhoeven showed the world, sometimes the most dangerous opponent isn’t the one with the most experience, but the one with the most belief.
Final Bell: The Legacy of Giza
In the end, the Usyk-Verhoeven fight will be remembered not for the controversial stoppage, but for the 10 rounds of magic that preceded it. It was a reminder that in combat sports, as in life, the script isn’t always written in advance.
As Usyk himself said after the fight, “I know right now, Ukrainian people are sitting in the bomb shelter, my daughter too, in a bomb shelter, sent me a message saying, ‘Papa, I love you, you will win’.” For a champion fighting for his country’s pride, the near-upset was a stark reminder that in the ring—as in life—nothing is guaranteed until the final bell.
For fight fans, the night at Giza will stand as a testament to the enduring power of the underdog story—a reminder that sometimes, just sometimes, Rocky doesn’t just get up off the canvas; he nearly wins the whole damn thing.
Watch the fight highlights here and read the full post-fight analysis here.
For more on Rico Verhoeven’s incredible journey from kickboxing to boxing, check out his career highlights here.
Heart beats odds when the bell rings!
