Oleksandr Usyk got the knockout win everyone expected against Rico Verhoeven, but not in the way anybody saw coming.Usyk closed as a 20-1 favorite over Verhoeven, who entered the fight with just one professional boxing bout on his record. Yet, to everyone's surprise, the 'King of Kickboxing' looked like the better boxer for most of the early rounds, making the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the world look uncharacteristically out of sorts.Usyk turned the tables late, leading to the fight's lone knockdown in the 11th round, before getting the stoppage seconds later. But despite getting the knockout everyone expected, the stoppage was near-unanimously bashed by fans worldwide.Oleksandr Usyk | IMAGO / NewspixOleksandr Usyk beats Rico Verhoeven with controversial stoppageAlthough the official scorecards remain unknown, Usyk appeared to be down seven rounds to one entering the ninth stanza. Usyk began to turn the tables against a fatiguing Verhoeven and landed a perfectly-timed uppercut on the stumbling Dutchman to floor the kickboxer late in the 11th round.Verhoeven lost his mouthpiece in the exchange, which bought him additional recovery time with 10 seconds left in the round. Usyk immediately picked up where he left off as soon as the action restarted, resulting in the controversial stoppage with only seconds remaining in the round.— BOXING n BBQ (@BOXINGnBBQ) May 23, 2026The classy Verhoeven was clearly upset with the stoppage in the heat of the moment before doing nothing but expressing gratitude in the ring after the official decision was announced.Ring Magazine owner Turki Alalshikh desired a rematch in the immediate aftermath, but he also hinted toward a potential unification bout with Agit Kabayel for Usyk next.Hamzah Sheeraz runs through Alem Begic'Glory in Giza' was also the crowning moment for Hamzah Sheeraz, who finally became a world champion by running through Alem Begic in the co-main event. Sheeraz took full control of the fight from the opening bell and never let the 39-year-old get out of first gear before dropping him with a liver shot late in the second round.Sheeraz dominated the punch count, landing 44 in the six-minute fight to just four from Begic, per Compubox.😬💥 HAMZAH SHEERAZ LANDS A BRUTAL BODYSHOT AND GETS THE FINISH IN THE SECOND ROUND!👀 Usyk vs. Verhoeven is up next. pic.twitter.com/XqGqQilVyt— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) May 23, 2026The 26-year-old Sheeraz is now 23-0-1 with the WBO super middleweight title in his possession. The Englishman called out Canelo Alvarez after his win, to nobody's surprise.Jack Catterall wins WBA title in dominant fashionLike Sheeraz, 'Glory in Giza' was a coronation for Jack Catterall, who finally got over the hump to become a world champion. Catterall entered the night 0-2 in world title fights, but barely broke a sweat in a dominant win over the previously undefeated Shakhram Giyasov.Catterall put Giyasov on notice from the opening round when he dropped the Uzbek with a straight left hand. It was cruise control from that point on, with Catterall's straight shots and check right hook controlling the remaining 11 rounds.Congratulations, El Gato 👏Drops and decisions Shakhram Giyasov to win the WBA Regular World Welterweight Title 👑📝 118-109, 119-108, 116-111 pic.twitter.com/by2pHvqyCB— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) May 23, 2026Catterall, 33-2, is now on a three-fight win streak and inserts his name into a red-hot welterweight division. The 32-year-old called out WBA super welterweight champion Rolando 'Rolly' Romero after the win, with the help of his promoter, Eddie Hearn.Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven full results(C) Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven, for the WBC heavyweight titleHamzah Sheeraz def. Alem Begic by KO in Round 2 (2:33), for the vacant WBO super middleweight titleJack Catterall def. Shakhram Giyasov by unanimous decision (119-108, 118-109, 116-111), for the vacant WBA regular welterweight titleFrank Sanchez def. Richard Torrez Jr. by KO in Round 2 (0:55), heavyweight(C) Mizuki Hiruta def. Mai Soliman by unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92, 98-92), for the WBO female super flyweight titleBenjamin Mendes Tani def. Daniel Lapin by TKO in Round 4 (1:35), light heavyweightBasem Mamdouh def. Jamar Talley by KO in Round 2 (1:51), cruiserweightSultan Almohammed def. Dedy Impart by KO in Round 1 (1:12), lightweightMohamed Mabrouk def. Michael Kalyalya by unanimous decision (40-35, 40-35, 38-37), super lightweightOmar Hikal def. Ali Sserunkuma by KO in Round 3 (0:55), welterweightAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow