Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven: Main card results on May 23

On May 23, at the Pyramids of Giza, Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven headlines a Ring Magazine fight card, live on DAZN Pay-Per-View. The main event will take place in the heavyweight division.

We’ll bring you all the results from the Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven main fight card. The first fight is scheduled to begin at approximately 18:00 GMT/13:00 ET.

All results from the Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven main card on May 23

Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven

After an entertaining undercard, it was time for Oleksandr Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs) vs Rico Verhoeven (1-1, 1 KO) for Usyk’s Ring and WBC heavyweight titles.

Verhoeven applied the pressure in the opening round, landing a right hand to the body of Usyk, who looked largely untroubled. Usyk picked his shots more impressively in the second round, with the pressure still coming from Verhoeven. Despite the oohs and aahs from the crowd, Usyk looked untroubled in the first two rounds.

Usyk increased the tempo during the fourth round, making Verhoeven much easier to find, showcasing impressive variation. The Ukrainian appeared to hurt Verhoeven during that round. The Dutch fighter’s tactics continued to work as he let his hands go and refused to let the champion settle.

With three rounds to go, Usyk’s normally excellent footwork had deserted him, while the bigger Verhoeven moved his feet well and closed the distance effectively. Near the end of the tenth round, Usyk had his best moment in the fight, landing a flurry of punches, but Verhoeven continued to come forward.

In the eleventh round, Usyk began to move through the gears and landed his best punches of the fight, flooring Verhoeven with a right uppercut, who showed his bravery by beating the count. After having his gumshield put back in, Usyk sensed the finish and landed more hurtful shots, prompting the referee to jump in and wave the fight off. A great effort from Verhoeven, but it felt like Usyk was nowhere near his best, whether injured or undertrained, the Ukrainian retained his Ring and WBC heavyweight titles.

Hamzah Sheeraz vs Alem Begic

Up next in the chief support slot for Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven was Hamzah Sheeraz (23-0-1, 19 KOs) vs Alem Begic (29-1-1, 23 KOs) for the vacant WBO super middleweight world title.

The opening round saw Sheeraz start on the front foot and work off his jab. He controlled the tempo for the opening three minutes, with Begic unable to land anything of note. The gap in class was obvious in terms of the second round, with Sheeraz raining in hooks and uppercuts on Begic, who had no answer. The stoppage was near when Sheeraz landed a spiteful left to the body, which floored Begic, leaving him unable to beat the count. A second-round TKO win for the Brit, who will move on to much bigger fights as the new WBO super middleweight world champion.

Jack Catterall vs Shakhram Giyasov

After that stunning KO win for Sanchez, it was time for Jack Catterall (33-2, 14 KOs) vs Shakhram Giyasov (17-1, 10 KOs) for the WBA regular welterweight world title.

It was a relatively cagey opening round until Catterall landed a well-timed left hand, knocking Giyasov down. The Brit then began to land the left hand almost at will, with the Uzbek relieved to hear the bell for the end of the round.

Catterall’s promising start continued, controlling the distance well and finding a home for the left hand. After a better fourth round for Giyasov, Catterall increased the tempo in the fifth round, outworking his Uzbek opponent, who had some success at the end of the round.

Catterall worked well off his jab in the sixth round, controlling the tempo and picking his shots impressively. The Brit’s discipline and shot selection shone through over the next few rounds as he worked effectively off his jab, landing the left hand. The Jack Catterall puzzle was too much for Giyasov to solve, with the judges’ scorecards reading 118-109, 119-108, and 116-111 all in favour of Jack El Gato Catterall, who is now the new WBA regular welterweight champion.

Richard Torrez Jr vs Frank Sanchez

It was the heavyweights up next, with Richard Torrez Jr (14-1, 12 KOs) facing Frank Sanchez (26-1, 19 KOs) in an IBF heavyweight eliminator.

It was a strong opening three minutes from Torrez Jr, who showcased fast hand speed and quick feet, enabling him to avoid the right uppercut from Sanchez. The second round continued in the same vein until Sanchez landed a monster right uppercut, knocking Torrez Jr out. What a punch, and what a win for The Cuban Flash, catapulting himself back into the heavyweight picture.

Mizuki Hiruta vs Mai Soliman

Next up on the undercard was Mizuki Hiruta (11-0, 2 KOs) vs Mai Soliman (10-2, 6 KOs) for Hiruta’s WBO super flyweight and The Ring Magazine titles.

It was an intriguing opening round, where Soliman had success, but the sharper work came from Hiruta. Soliman continued to try to impose herself on the champion, but Hiruta’s variation helped her take the opening two rounds.

Soliman had moments with the right hand, but the single-punch success was met with three and four-punch combinations from Hiruta, whose hand speed and slick footwork were a joy to watch. Over the next few rounds, Soliman continued to try to close the distance, but the Japanese fighter was too sharp and punished everything Soliman threw.

Soliman had her best moment of the fight in round eight, landing a right hand, which buzzed Hiruta, who recovered well to see out the remainder of the round. Hiruta’s class shone through during the final two rounds, as she picked her punches well and stayed away from Soliman’s right hand. The judge’s scorecards read 99-91, and 98-92 x2, all in favour of Hiruta, who remains the WBO super flyweight and Ring Magazine champion.

Daniel Lapin vs Benjamin Mendes Tani

The first fight on the Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven undercard saw Daniel Lapin (13-1, 5 KOs) face Benjamin Mendes Tani (10-1, 3 KOs) for the IBF inter-continental and WBO international light heavyweight titles.

It was a quiet opening round, with Lapin looking the sharper, while Tani tried to close the distance to no avail. Tani enjoyed more success in the second round, applying plenty of pressure and finding a regular home for the right hand. The front-foot tactics from Tani continued, with Lapin under pressure, struggling to keep the Frenchman off him.

Tani continued his tactics in the fourth and showed impressive accuracy, landing a left uppercut to score the first knockdown. The second knockdown was a beautifully timed body shot from Tani. It looked like Lapin was out of ideas, and the Frenchman landed a straight right to score a third knockdown, forcing the referee to wave the fight off. A great fourth-round TKO career-changing win for Tani!