Verhoeven entered the bout aggressively and immediately tried to impose his size, strength, and physical pressure on the unbeaten Ukrainian champion. The kickboxing star pushed Usyk backward at times, leaned on him along the ropes, and landed several heavy right hands while attempting to turn the contest into a rougher fight than Usyk typically prefers.
For several rounds, the pressure gave Usyk real problems.
Usyk still found success with his jab, footwork, and angles, but Verhoeven’s forward movement and willingness to keep forcing exchanges helped make the fight competitive deep into the contest. Rather than fading quickly, Verhoeven continued pressing forward through the middle rounds and forced Usyk to work consistently for openings.
The difference began to show more clearly during the championship rounds.
Usyk gradually started finding cleaner counters and sharper combinations as Verhoeven’s pace slowed slightly under the pressure of the sustained exchanges. By Round 10, the Ukrainian champion looked more comfortable controlling distance and timing the challenger as the fight shifted back toward his preferred tempo.
The ending came in the 11th round.
Usyk hurt Verhoeven with a series of accurate combinations before trapping him during a sustained attack along the ropes. Although Verhoeven remained on his feet, the referee stepped in to stop the fight after seeing the challenger absorbing repeated unanswered punches.
The stoppage immediately created debate among some fans watching the fight, though Usyk had clearly taken firm control by that stage.
The victory kept Usyk unbeaten and added another successful defense to a heavyweight run that already includes wins over Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Daniel Dubois. For Verhoeven, the defeat dropped him to 1-1 in professional boxing, though many observers gave him credit for lasting into the later rounds and making the undisputed champion work harder than expected.
In the end, Usyk’s experience, movement, and ability to adjust during the second half of the fight once again separated him from the challenger standing across from him.
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