Boxing came within Inches of a massive sensation (PHOTO)

On May 23, 2026, in the main event of a major show in Giza, Egypt, unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs) of Ukraine faced legendary Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven (1-1, 1 KO).

Nobody expected this to be possible, but Rico came within touching distance of one of the biggest upsets of all time, putting up a more than respectable fight against the clear favorite before Usyk dropped and stopped him in the 11th round.

At the time of the stoppage, two judges had the fight scored 95-95, while the third had Verhoeven ahead 96-94.

The scorecards show that the judges were unanimous in rounds 1, 2, 6, 7, and 9, awarding them to Rico, as well as rounds 3, 4, 5, and 8, which went to Oleksandr. There was some disagreement over the remaining rounds.