Former super-middleweight champion Carl Froch has offered a complex assessment of Oleksandr Usyk’s performance following his controversial 11th-round stoppage victory over Rico Verhoeven. The bout took place on May 23, 2026, in Giza, Egypt, where Usyk defended his WBC heavyweight title. While Froch was initially critical of the matchup, he later credited the champion for “saving boxing” despite appearing to be past his physical prime.
The fight served as a voluntary defense for Oleksandr Usyk before he faces mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel. The champion won in the penultimate round, but the timing of the intervention caused immediate friction. With only two seconds remaining in the 11th, the referee stepped in to end the contest, a decision that veteran trainer Peter Fury described as premature given the proximity to the bell.
Carl Froch evaluates Oleksandr Usyk’s performance and physical state
Carl Froch monitored the event closely, providing commentary both before and after the clash. In his post-fight reaction on May 24, Froch was blunt about the champion’s struggles against the 36-year-old kickboxing legend. “Usyk looked SO bad!” Froch noted, observing that the Ukrainian appeared “awkward” and “disjointed” against an opponent who had not boxed professionally since 2014.
Age was a central theme in the former champion’s analysis. Froch estimated that Usyk is “nearly 40,” suggesting he is around 38 or 39 years old. He remarked that Usyk’s shoulders “look I don’t know” and stated the heavyweight is likely past his best. Despite the criticism, Froch admitted that by finding the 11th-round finish, Usyk’s performance against the kickboxing star ultimately saved his legacy and the sport from a major upset.
The seventh-round hook and Rico Verhoeven’s resilience
The contest was far more competitive than the pre-fight odds suggested. Rico Verhoeven, who holds a kickboxing record of 66-10 with 21 knockouts, allegedly turned down lucrative MMA opportunities to secure this fight. His gamble nearly paid off in the seventh round when he caught the champion with a significant hook. Froch noted Usyk “got clipped with a big shot” after pulling out “lazy,” though he clarified the champion “took it well” and it was “no problem.”
By the eighth round, Usyk appeared to regain control, landing a combination of four or five punches. However, he struggled to maintain that momentum until the finish. Verhoeven’s intentions to box post-Usyk seem well-founded given how he frustrated the three-belt champion. Froch praised the Dutchman for boxing “superbly” despite his natural limitations as a crossover athlete.
Stoppage controversy and reaction from Peter Fury
The end of the fight left a bitter taste for those in the challenger’s corner. In the 11th round, Usyk unleashed a flurry that prompted the referee to wave off the match. Peter Fury was vocal in his opposition to the call, pointing out that the 10-second clapper had already sounded. He argued that Usyk’s final “Florida combo” did not land anything clean and that Rico Verhoeven should have been allowed to finish the round.
The controversy overshadowed what was a historic night in Giza. For the challenger, surviving into the 11th round against a man who recently stopped Daniel Dubois was an achievement in itself. But the late intervention meant Verhoeven was denied the chance to reach the scorecards, leaving fans and analysts to debrief a messy conclusion.
Impact on mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel
While the focus remains on the two men in the ring, Agit Kabayel is the figure most affected by the Giza result. Before the fight, on March 6, Froch expressed frustration that the “bona fide challenger” was being forced to wait. He called the decision to let Usyk face a kickboxer “bad for the sport,” noting that Kabayel has been waiting for his opportunity for a relative age.
Usyk now holds the WBA, WBC, and IBF belts, and the pressure to satisfy mandatory requirements will be immense. Froch concluded that while Usyk “did what Usyk needed to do,” the performance suggests the heavyweight king is vulnerable. Whether Agit Kabayel can capitalize on the perceived decline remains the primary question for the division’s immediate future.
