Round-by-Round: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven - 23 May 2026

[NazNaci1]

Wouldn't say that it was reffed unfairly but the bell went and then he stopped it, in a close, tense fight.

British ref's aren't great, and not sure why they are used so often in these big fights. An American ref would have stopped the action at the bell.

Probably would not have made much difference even if there was a 12th round. Rico's thing, with people who know him and have said on this forum, which is definitely not me, is that he known for coming back after adversity.

Very humble afterwards, respectful and probably feels he was shafted.

Turki may call an immediate rematch, Uysk may dump the belt by choice, especially after the heat he will receive, take on Rico in Amsterdam and then maybe, fight on Kabayel in a finale?

No need for Fury, AJ, DDD or Wilder, at this stage.

[joshj909]

[gilgamesh]

I still wouldn't be upset if Usyk fought Wilder, but Kabayel certainly deserves his shot.

That being said, if he doesn't get it next and spends the whole year waiting around for it rather than fighting and making himself more marketable I won't be feeling too sorry for him.

[Coco]

Dunno what to think?

Usyk was heavy, lacked foot and head movement, wasn't busy enough either, failed to apply pressure.

Rico, big, strong, awkward and tough, was in great condition, great desire, just outworked the Ukrainian.

I had him ahead big on the cards, Uysk needed a KO, and the British ref helped him.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Despite the stoppage.. early or whatever. From what I’m reading mostly on here and online elsewhere..

Many believe it was likely to be over the next round.. or at least Usyk would have won the decision based on the scorecards heading into the last round.

[gilgamesh]

Despite the stoppage.. early or whatever. From what I’m reading mostly on here and online elsewhere..

Many believe it was likely to be over the next round.. or at least Usyk would have won the decision based on the scorecards heading into the last round.

Yes he had a 10-8 round in the 11th and 2 judges had it even after 10. So that would've meant Rico would've needed a KO in the 12th to turn it back his way, and that seemed highly unlikely.

I think Rico was pretty well done for, but he had earned the right to see that 12th round. It robbed Usyk of a more decisive finish as well. He legit would've stopped Rico controversy free in the 12th I believe, but Rico had fought his ass off up to then and should've had that chance.

[joshj909]

Dunno what to think?

Usyk was heavy, lacked foot and head movement, wasn't busy enough either, failed to apply pressure.

Rico, big, strong, awkward and tough, was in great condition, great desire, just outworked the Ukrainian.

I had him ahead big on the cards, Uysk needed a KO, and the British ref helped him.

If you gave every remotely close rounds, even the ones Usyk won, to Verhoeven then it could've been maximum 106-102 at the time of the stoppage, 2 rounds in it. That would be a biased card though like the production team wanted people to think to legitimise the fight.

[JC]

I think Rico was pretty well done for, but he had earned the right to see that 12th round. It robbed Usyk of a more decisive finish as well. He legit would've stopped Rico controversy free in the 12th I believe, but Rico had fought his ass off up to then and should've had that chance.

100%

Also, well done on calling it and sticking to your guns thought the build up.

[TheLeprechaun]

Hard to feel sorry for a guy who spat out his gumshield to buy time. That's cheating in my book.

And yes, Diego Corrales cheated in that Castillo fight.

[handsofstone]

What a crock of sh1t, English referee ruining yet another championship fight, I thought he was trying to break them because it was end of the round, didn't even cross my mind he was stopping it, disgraceful, Usyk was terrible, I had Verhoeven up by 2 rounds after 10, Usyk was slow , sluggish, didn't get more active as it wore on like he usually does, the uppercut was the only shot he had any success with, Verhoeven used his size and strength to bully Usyk, chin down, shoulders hunched, walked in and put it on Usyk, landed the right hand time and again and manhandled him, he landed nearly all the notable punches, Copps score was way of but no doubt Verhoeven was winning, Usyk needed something, he had a good 10th then obviously found the right uppercut at end of 11th the dropped Verhoeven and hurt him, he waded in the corner catching him but didn't look like he had enough time but thankfully for him it was a BBBC registered official that gave him a TKO, feel for Verhoeven, id have fancied Usyk in the last but we'll never know, embarrassing tbqh


Also I'm not buying the whole Verhoeven being unpredictable and unorthodox because of his kickboxing style, he was just aggressive and used plenty of feints like all top boxers do, feintings purpose is to be unpredictable, it wasnt as he spoiled to unsettle Usyk and I'm no hearing anything about the shape Usyk was in either, that's on him

Clear racism. It's British refs, not just English refs. I've seen old Victor stop a good few under debatable circumstances

Ok so Victor, name another Scot, Welsh or Irish ref/judge who ruins fights I can rattle off 10 Englishmen but I get that it's the law of averages but to can't deny 99% of these hopeless officials are English


It works both ways though, whenever an English fighters does well he's a brit but the rest of are quite rightly regarded as Scottish, Irish or Welsh, think the English need to be a bit more proud of their Englishness

[JamesPhilips]

A Fight is a Fight. A great Boxer could hold his own in Kickboxing as well, they just wouldn't bother because there's nowhere near as much money in Kickboxing.

Football and Baseball are 2 entirely different sporting concepts.

A Kickboxing match or a Boxing match have the same goal. Knock the other man out or land more blows than him.

Not sure about that, Riddick Bowe was totally embarrassed when he tried it. It's a whole different skill and a lifetime of learning to take a different type of pain.

I don't recall Bowe ever having a Kickboxing match.

Shannon Briggs beat Tom Erickson in a Kickboxing match, but Erickson was primarily a Grappler.

There have been many Kickboxers who are best known for their punching. Many competitors in the sport only focus on leg kicks or using their legs for defense.

Bowe had a Thai boxing match against a Russian when he was well past it. He got his legs battered to pieces and got stopped.

[Kilburn]

As someone who frequently rolls their eyes when Usyk is spoken about as the greatest of all time, I thought it was an excellent win from him.

Those punches he put together in the 11th round of a tough fight were savage. Personally I didn’t need any more convincing.

[gilgamesh]

Not sure about that, Riddick Bowe was totally embarrassed when he tried it. It's a whole different skill and a lifetime of learning to take a different type of pain.

I don't recall Bowe ever having a Kickboxing match.

Shannon Briggs beat Tom Erickson in a Kickboxing match, but Erickson was primarily a Grappler.

There have been many Kickboxers who are best known for their punching. Many competitors in the sport only focus on leg kicks or using their legs for defense.

Bowe had a Thai boxing match against a Russian when he was well past it. He got his legs battered to pieces and got stopped.

I'll be damned. Ya learn something new all the time.

[JC]

Hard to feel sorry for a guy who spat out his gumshield to buy time. That's cheating in my book.

And yes, Diego Corrales cheated in that Castillo fight.

If you watch it back in slow motion and zoom in you can see his red gum shield come out as he falls forward through the ropes after being hit with the uppercut. So, I don’t think you can say he spat it out on purpose.

Corrales was much more clear cut.

[paultom]

That's who Rico reminded me of last night

[Oiky]

rico turned up last night all credit to him. a fit, awkward lump who applied the pressure, bullied usyk about a bit, caught him numerous times with the right hand and was game all night long

stoppage was bs in my opinion, you mean to tell me you're gonna take the opportunity away from a man who was winning the fight up to that point the opportunity to go out on his shield the way he would have wanted too?

usyk is unreal, a true pro, a road warrior and youll never see the likes of him again, he had an off night, but with that being said rico was on form, he came to win, he was actively trying all night long to win, and draw usyk in, feinting and all the rest of it so i wont have it that usyk was just jank on the night, rico done his part, fairplay, i dont mind a bit of KB either, ive followed rico over the years but i did think usyk was gonna piece him within 6, he wasn't having a bar of it was he, brilliant.

[JamesPhilips]

Stoppage really awful. Most of Usyk’s shots were missing plus the bell went. Boxing is so depressing sometimes. When I saw Mark Lyson as ref at the beginning of the fight I immediately thought 'oh no'.

Usyk may well have stopped Rico in the 12th but both him and the public should’ve been allowed that possibility.

Unfortunately Verhoeven would’ve been robbed on the cards even if it went the distance. I gave Usyk 2 rounds.

It was a bewilderingly awful performance by Usyk. Almost as bewildering as his excuse that his girl was in a bomb shelter in Ukraine…. Yet wasn’t his wife at the fight? His residence is I believe in Spain.

Usyk I think didn’t train as hard as usual and also age catching up. Verhoeven also had such a strange awkward style it seemed to confuse Usyk who caught some flush shots from Rico.

But it’s embarrassing that a p4p could have so much trouble in a crossover fight. Such a bad look for boxing

[forcefraser]

Most people calling it a bullshat stoppage.

Let it go to the 12th , no debate at all as far as I'm concerned. Lyson messed up.

I watched the youtube with bitter conspiracy theorist Porky, who thought the stoppage was fine. Almost every other boxing channel thought otherwise

Porky reminds me of Geoff Boycott. A mouth who loves nothing more than the sound of his own voice

[joshj909]

Stoppage really awful. Most of Usyk’s shots were missing plus the bell went. Boxing is so depressing sometimes. When I saw Mark Lyson as ref at the beginning of the fight I immediately thought 'oh no'.

Usyk may well have stopped Rico in the 12th but both him and the public should’ve been allowed that possibility.

Unfortunately Verhoeven would’ve been robbed on the cards even if it went the distance. I gave Usyk 2 rounds.

It was a bewilderingly awful performance by Usyk. Almost as bewildering as his excuse that his girl was in a bomb shelter in Ukraine…. Yet wasn’t his wife at the fight? His residence is I believe in Spain.

Usyk I think didn’t train as hard as usual and also age catching up. Verhoeven also had such a strange awkward style it seemed to confuse Usyk who caught some flush shots from Rico.

But it’s embarrassing that a p4p could have so much trouble in a crossover fight. Such a bad look for boxing

Which were the two rounds that you gave to Usyk? Were they the coincidentally the same as the two that Copp gave to Usyk?

[JamesPhilips]

Most people calling it a bullshat stoppage.

Let it go to the 12th , no debate at all as far as I'm concerned. Lyson messed up.

I watched the youtube with bitter conspiracy theorist Porky, who thought the stoppage was fine. Almost every other boxing channel thought otherwise

Porky reminds me of Geoff Boycott. A mouth who loves nothing more than the sound of his own voice

It was an absolutely awful stoppage. People who agree with controversial stoppages always pull out the old "it’s better to stop it early than late" card. It’s like their trump card. Verhoeven was hardly touched for most of the fight it’s not like it was a bruiser. 100% awful stoppage

[JamesPhilips]

Stoppage really awful. Most of Usyk’s shots were missing plus the bell went. Boxing is so depressing sometimes. When I saw Mark Lyson as ref at the beginning of the fight I immediately thought 'oh no'.

Usyk may well have stopped Rico in the 12th but both him and the public should’ve been allowed that possibility.

Unfortunately Verhoeven would’ve been robbed on the cards even if it went the distance. I gave Usyk 2 rounds.

It was a bewilderingly awful performance by Usyk. Almost as bewildering as his excuse that his girl was in a bomb shelter in Ukraine…. Yet wasn’t his wife at the fight? His residence is I believe in Spain.

Usyk I think didn’t train as hard as usual and also age catching up. Verhoeven also had such a strange awkward style it seemed to confuse Usyk who caught some flush shots from Rico.

But it’s embarrassing that a p4p could have so much trouble in a crossover fight. Such a bad look for boxing

Which were the two rounds that you gave to Usyk? Were they the coincidentally the same as the two that Copp gave to Usyk?

If you’re insinuating I was being influenced by that talking head you’re wrong. Can’t remember exact round but I was keeping tally. How did you have it?

[mickey1975]

Most people calling it a bullshat stoppage.

Let it go to the 12th , no debate at all as far as I'm concerned. Lyson messed up.

I watched the youtube with bitter conspiracy theorist Porky, who thought the stoppage was fine. Almost every other boxing channel thought otherwise

Porky reminds me of Geoff Boycott. A mouth who loves nothing more than the sound of his own voice

Porky used to be very good. I can’t watch it anymore. He’s anti Peter Fury after worshipping him for years and loves Usyk so can’t be rational over this. I dread to think what he’s got to say on it.

[forcefraser]

Stoppage really awful. Most of Usyk’s shots were missing plus the bell went. Boxing is so depressing sometimes. When I saw Mark Lyson as ref at the beginning of the fight I immediately thought 'oh no'.

Usyk may well have stopped Rico in the 12th but both him and the public should’ve been allowed that possibility.

Unfortunately Verhoeven would’ve been robbed on the cards even if it went the distance. I gave Usyk 2 rounds.

It was a bewilderingly awful performance by Usyk. Almost as bewildering as his excuse that his girl was in a bomb shelter in Ukraine…. Yet wasn’t his wife at the fight? His residence is I believe in Spain.

Usyk I think didn’t train as hard as usual and also age catching up. Verhoeven also had such a strange awkward style it seemed to confuse Usyk who caught some flush shots from Rico.

But it’s embarrassing that a p4p could have so much trouble in a crossover fight. Such a bad look for boxing

Which were the two rounds that you gave to Usyk? Were they the coincidentally the same as the two that Copp gave to Usyk?

I had it 6- 4 to Rico going into the 11th. Gave Usyk rounds 3, 4, 8 and 10

[joshj909]

Stoppage really awful. Most of Usyk’s shots were missing plus the bell went. Boxing is so depressing sometimes. When I saw Mark Lyson as ref at the beginning of the fight I immediately thought 'oh no'.

Usyk may well have stopped Rico in the 12th but both him and the public should’ve been allowed that possibility.

Unfortunately Verhoeven would’ve been robbed on the cards even if it went the distance. I gave Usyk 2 rounds.

It was a bewilderingly awful performance by Usyk. Almost as bewildering as his excuse that his girl was in a bomb shelter in Ukraine…. Yet wasn’t his wife at the fight? His residence is I believe in Spain.

Usyk I think didn’t train as hard as usual and also age catching up. Verhoeven also had such a strange awkward style it seemed to confuse Usyk who caught some flush shots from Rico.

But it’s embarrassing that a p4p could have so much trouble in a crossover fight. Such a bad look for boxing

Which were the two rounds that you gave to Usyk? Were they the coincidentally the same as the two that Copp gave to Usyk?

If you’re insinuating I was being influenced by that talking head you’re wrong. Can’t remember exact round but I was keeping tally. How did you have it?

I wasn't scoring but roughly even after the 11th, possibly Usyk one ahead with the 10-8. Copp gave 4 or 5 to Verhoeven which is a terrible call. Most rounds were pretty close. There were three definite Usyk rounds including the 11th which would've been a 10-8 (4/5/11). Three definite Verhoeven rounds (8/9/10). Five close rounds which everyone seems to be giving to Verhoeven (1/2/3/6/7).

[Cyclops]

I didn't watch this and caught some highlights. It's sort of depressing because I think we all know that Usyk is 39 and probably knackered now and that's why he was fighting a kickboxer, entertaining fights against the likes of Wilder and dropping the belt to swerve someone like Fabio Wardley, who he could've sold out a stadium against if he was still up for it.