Usyk vs Verhoeven

Who won Usyk vs Verhoeven?

Oleksandr Usyk beat Rico Verhoeven by technical knockout in the 11th round on Saturday, May 23rd, 2026, at Pyramids of Giza, Giza.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Heavyweight division, which meant there was no weight limit.

This contest was for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world, with the WBC, The Ring, WBA, and IBF belts on the line.

Usyk was making his 6th defense of the The Ring Heavyweight Championship. He won this belt against Anthony Joshua in August 2022. He had held this belt for 3 years, 9 months and 18 days.

He was also making his 4th defense of the WBC World Heavyweight Championship. He won this belt against Tyson Fury in May 2024. He had held this title for 2 years and 20 days.

Also, on the line was his 2nd defense of the IBF World Heavyweight Championship. He won this belt against Daniel Dubois in July 2025. He had been recognised as this champion for 10 months and 19 days.

Finally, he was making his 7th defense of the WBA Super World Heavyweight Championship. He won this belt against Anthony Joshua in September 2021. He had been WBA champion for 4 years, 8 months and 12 days.

Also on the undercard Hamzah Sheeraz beat Alem Begic for the WBO World Super Middleweight championship, Jack Catterall defeated Shakhram Giyasov for the WBA World Welterweight belt, Frank Sanchez was victorious over Richard Torrez Jr for the IBF World Heavyweight title, and Mizuki Hiruta beat Mai Soliman.

Usyk vs Verhoeven stats

Oleksandr Usyk stepped into the ring with an undefeated record of 24 wins, zero losses, and 0 draws.

Rico Verhoeven made his way to the ring with an unblemished record of 1 wins and 0 draws.

Oleksandr Usyk was the older man by 2 years, at 39 years old.

Verhoeven had a height advantage of 2 inches over Usyk. That also extended to a 1-inch reach advantage.

Oleksandr Usyk fought out of the southpaw stance, while Rico Verhoeven was an orthodox fighter.

Usyk was the more experienced professional fighter, having had 23 more fights, and made his debut in 2013, 5 months earlier than Verhoeven, whose first professional fight was in 2014. He had fought 204 more professional rounds, totaling 217 compared to Verhoeven's 13.

Usyk vs Verhoeven form

Usyk remained undefeated as a professional, stopping 2 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight before this contest, he had defeated Daniel Dubois on July 19, 2025, by knockout in the 5th round in their IBF World Heavyweight, The Ring Heavyweight, WBC World Heavyweight and WBO World Heavyweight championship fight at Wembley Stadium, Wembley, United Kingdom.

Prior to that, he had defeated Tyson Fury on December 21, 2024, by unanimous decision in their The Ring Heavyweight, WBO World Heavyweight, WBC World Heavyweight and WBA Super World Heavyweight championship fight at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Going into that contest, he had beaten Tyson Fury on May 18, 2024, by split decision in their WBC World Heavyweight, WBO World Heavyweight, WBA Super World Heavyweight and IBF World Heavyweight championship fight at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh.

Before that, he had won against Daniel Dubois on August 26, 2023, by knockout in the 9th round in their WBO World Heavyweight, WBA Super World Heavyweight, IBF World Heavyweight and The Ring Heavyweight championship fight at Stadion Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland.

He had beaten Anthony Joshua on August 20, 2022, by split decision in their IBF World Heavyweight, WBA Super World Heavyweight, WBO World Heavyweight and The Ring Heavyweight championship fight at Jeddah Superdome, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Activity check

Usyk's last 5 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 9 months and 3 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 9 months and 1 day. In those fights, he fought a total of 50 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 10 rounds on average.

What time did Usyk vs Verhoeven start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 9:56 PM UTC at Pyramids of Giza, Giza, Egypt, which was 5:56 PM EST or 2:56 PM PST on the West Coast of America, or 10:56 PM BST in the UK.

Who broadcast Usyk vs Verhoeven?

The DAZN PPV show began at 11:00 AM EST / 8:00 AM PST. The DAZN PPV UK broadcast of the card started at 4:00 PM (BST).

What were the odds on Usyk vs Verhoeven?

Oleksandr Usyk was a 1/20 (-2000) favorite going into the contest, while Rico Verhoeven made his way into the ring at 8/1 (+800) with oddsmakers.